Chipped Sapphire and Brewing Hellfire
by lordofire
Summary: Jaune himself was young, inexperienced, dense, but filled with so much potential. Sauron was old, determined, observant, and had reached the peak of his strength in ages long past. With warring factions, a growing darkness, and ancient magic at work, it'll take the old world's evil to stop the current one. Throw in a clumsy knight and you have one fantastic adventure ahead.
1. The End and the Beginning

**Kinda just a dabble I thought of especially since I've grown as a writer and a person. I've read into new and old fandoms and I really want to start writing again.**

 **Charter Edit: Due to the various reviews and PM's asking me to fix these chapters up, I will obliged and return to all my chapters and attempt to grammatically and spelling wise improve them.**

Jaune Arc grew up to a rather famous family. Matthias and Savannah Arc were some of the greatest hunters of their time, graduating from the esteemed Beacon Academy and deciding to settle down on one of the many frontier towns that dotted Vale. Luckily for their children, they had settled in one of the older and more developed towns, Canvas.

Jaune was the only male child they had, having seven female children. Three younger and four older sisters, then their was the lone male child of the Arc family. All the sisters we're aspiring huntresses, the eldest, Diamond becoming one recently, graduating from a smaller academy, Pillar. They all wanted to become the heroes of the world. Even Jaune.

But Jaune had started too late. He hadn't gone to the prep school, he hadn't trained. He had wasted his childhood playing and dreaming and thus had wasted his chance of entering Signal Academy. And with no way of entering Beacon without any credits from Signal or any prep academy for that matter, his dream of becoming a hero was squandered. But he had a plan. He would train himself for the next two years and then enter Beacon with some...changes to his records.

It would take money, and his own ability to lie and act, which, at least to his knowledge, he was pretty good at. All he needed to do was save up his money and train hard to be accepted during the initiation.

He snuggled deeper into his blankets as a myriad of feelings welled in him. Disappointment, anger, hope, and sadness. But he needed to prove himself. He needed to prove that he could be a hero just like the rest of his family. He need to be prove that he was worthy of being mentioned in the Arc's history book.

 **X.**

 **x.**

 **X.**

The world had changed. He felt it. The Age of Men had coming to an end. The Elves and Dwarves had left this world, and all that remained were the fledgling human kingdoms, which themselves, were besieged by monsters and demons. Yet he endured. He the greatest enemy of of the free races of Middle Earth.

Sauron.

He had outlasted his enemies. The Istari had fled to the undying lands, never to return to this mortal realm. The elves lost their power when they returned back to the Valar. The strength of men had become a variable now, not an actual obstacle like they had been in the past.

He had felt the other Maiar and other spirits of the old age fade away. Even Allfather Eru Illúvatar's power faded, becoming nothing more than a shade much like Sauron himself. The rest of the Ainur and Maiar had been forgotten with time, and they held very little influence in this world.

Now was the time for him to return. He had bided his time fruitfully. Truly, he had no idea of how long he lingered in the nirvana of the void planning and plotting . It was long enough, however, for him to gather enough strength to retain his identity and allowed him to brood and plan.

Arda was his and, only one thing prevented him from doing that. A lack of a proper body.

Make no mistake, with the destruction of the Ring most of his vast strength and soul were diminished and desolated. But he had acquired enough self grown power to initiate the first step to his plan. To find a host and capture its body. He would ensnare and steal their _feä,_ or their soul, and use it to empower himself. But he had to be careful. If he failed to successfully make the victim capitulate their _feä_ it could have very severe consequences for himself. He needed to be careful who his victim was. It had taken him several days for him to actually find a suitable _feä_ to capture.

And it was tonight where he had found a rather easy target. A young one, barely fourteen winters of age, would be his first steps to once again conquering all of this world. Now that none stood in his path, he would be unrivaled.

 **X.**

 **X.**

Jaune Arc loved to dream. It helped him escape from reality and into a realm where he could be anything he wanted. A warrior. A master tactician. A hunter. A Hero. Thus when he slept, he hoped to dream of something great and magnificent.

And he did, before something ruined it. It was like waking up while you were dreaming. The sudden disturbance somehow making its way into your dream, and the discrepancy would usually wake the users into the physical world.

Except this darkness, this shadow had somehow thrown Jaune and itself deeper into Jaune's mind. It was if Jaune was falling through a light show, with flowing, vibrant colors surging beside him to make a funnel of neverending colors.

The only thing that stopped Jaune from thinking it was a beautiful place was his unwelcomed visitor.

Shapeless and abhorrent, it was only a physical shadowy mass of grasping flesh and insatiable hunger. Quite frankly it scared Jaune to the bone. It seemingly registered it surroundings, finding nothing of use in the void, before it surged at him. It was like fighting a wave from the ocean. The surging, sudden darkness coated him and surrounded his enire body. It was cold and Jaune desperately struggled within the confines of the beast. And unluckily for the both of them, there was a rather convenient mental hole behind them which they both fell into.

"Why does this stuff always happen to me!" He cried as they tumbled down the jagged chasm to an unseeable end. He and the mass of shadow were constantly being clobbered by rows and rows of jagged and hard surfaces. Not to mention Jaune was currently wrestling away the invader, with the rocks actually coming to his aid as they started colliding into the hard stones, which successfully dislodged the entity. Although he did have a rock connect rather painfully into his sternum. Or whatever body part of whatever body he was in right now. It felt like his body. Yet it was different all together. After connecting his head with a particularly nasty edge, he really needed to voice his anger.

"Alright why the hell is this even here! I mean I'm not insane. Or at least I don't think I a-oohhh" Jaune could only emit a screech of silent pain as he landed on a slender edge that had managed to hit the most vulnerable spot that all men fear of being hit. His body locked up and he would believe that he gained a rather comical facial expression as he slipped off the edge. God damn it, his own subconscious was out to hurt him. And it knew how to really well.

The shadowy mass beside him, actually showed some emotion. It actually laughed. Or what Jaune believed to be a laugh as its body of shadowy nothingness apparently fluctuated as it saw Jaune's immense pain. But karma seemed to exist in the confines of this layer of hell that resided in Jaune's subconscious, as the mass of darkness actually collided with a large protruding edge, and Jaune heard something go _Splat_ as it broke through it. That seemed to teach it a lesson as it soon again attempted to attack him.

He didn't know how long it had been since they had fallen. It was just a never ending chasm of miscellaneously placed rocks and jutted edges that seemed to hit their most vulnerable areas. Had it not been the for the new wave of pain every five seconds, Jaune would have probably lost his mind. His attacker also seemed to have grown bored. It barely tried to attack him now. After getting several of its tendrils shucked off by colliding into whatever the hell these things actually were, it had decided to just coat itself and ride out the rest of the fall. It was lucky it had its tendrils to destroy or even maneuver out of the way of the edges, as it was progressively getting more pai-

"Again?" He squeaked out as once again he had landed on his anchor to masculinity. It would be a long fall if it kept up likes this.

Eventually they both hit the end of the chasm, but instead of a terrible landing, full of pain, they were caught in what seemed to be a hold like honey, warm and rejuvenating to Jaune. It slowly erased all the dull aches and pains from their fall and he felt himself grow less weary. What was this place? Unlike the dreadful chasm they traveled by, full of fear and misery, this place was comforting and it gave him a warm feeling in his heart. It gave him strength and he straightened his back as he turned to oppose his assailant.

However it was transfixed to something completely different. Jaune himself began to notice it as well. It was a sphere of collected, blue light. It was dense and warm, almost like a liquid. It glowed with power, bathing the room in a soft blue light that nursed Jaune and it made him feel _strong._

 _'soul'_

Jaune had to recollect his mind when he realized the invader of his dream actually talked to him. He however made it to point to downgrade it to a different form of communication. From what he could tell it had no mouth to communicate with and he doubted whatever hell this thing crawled out of , spoke Valian. But it seemed this is was a turning point. Perhaps it would actually like to talk things out rather than fight? That would be a neat change in pace. Perhaps they could actually be friends?

 _'soul, acquire, tear, vessel shattered'_

Or it wanted to take his soul.

The invader once again surged but, Jaune was ready this time. Tendrils of shadow darted out and Jaune swiftly swung his fists at it, actually connecting a strike against one of its approaching limbs. It recoiled and the creature seemed to evaluate Jaune for several minutes. It then violently slammed him out of the way with dozens of shadowy tendrils and Jaune found himself in a daze, laying a couple of feet away from his original position.

He desperately tried to stand, but was forced into the ground when he felt something be torn away from his body. He coughed and sputtered and he desperately clawed at his chest as his heart burned with pain and anger.

It was like someone had droven a knife into him and retched it out, taking more of him with the withdrawal of the knife. The pain and the sense of losing a part of him, made Jaune angry. He identified that the invader had indeed stolen part of his soul, with the shadowy mass floating beside the now visibly smaller ball of light.

He allowed himself to take power from his anger as he charged straight towards the soul stealer.

 **X.**

Sauron had made a miscalculation. He did not expect the resilience of this youngling's mind. Nor the terrible innards and defenses that lay within. Everything about the boy's mental state and very essence was...strange. Powerful blood flowed through him, dormant and waiting. His _feä_ itself was strange indeed, full of strength and unknown potential.

It was a wonder why the boy hadn't become powerful in its own right. It mattered little now however, the _feä_ was _his._

Sauron had only taken a portion of the _feä,_ when he had been rejuvenated to a higher sense of power. He could compare it to the amount of strength he had before the ring was destroyed. It was intoxicating. And there was so much more for him to take. He moved in to consume the rest of it, but he felt something propel him to away from the _feä_.

And it hurt.

The youngling stood before him, the close proximity with his _feä_ bolstering his inner strength. His dormant blood that swirled around them, breathed with power, but the young one did not notice. His focus and strength were all directed at him. Such a show of strength mattered little to Sauron. But he would entertain the boy.

He allowed his full strength to be revealed. No longer was he a mass of bodiless shadows, now he could reveal himself as a real power in this dying world. The shadows of his old body ignited with fire and sweltering heat filled the subconscious of his victim. No longer was he powerless. Now he was the all seeing eye, that peered through flesh and soul alike. Made of fire and lidless, he was in the form that swayed Saruman to his cause and defeated Gandalf the Grey with little to no effort.

And yet the boy stood against him. He was no destined king, no great warrior with powerful magic. He had and was nothing. Nothing but courage. Sauron had to admit that the boy had garnered some respect from the old Maiar.

Respect, however,would not save him.

 **X.**

Unbeknownst to the two, watching them was a dying god. Nameless and forgotten he carefully watched his last contingency plan play out as he had wanted. This world was slowly being eaten by shadows. Insatiable, and accursed, Men had no chance against them. Alone at least.

Sauron had been and always will be a variable. He was the last Maiar remaining here in this world. The last remaining spirit of the old world where the entity had ruled. Well the last **predictable** spirit. Not to mention he would always be the strongest. No. he and Jaune would be essential for perserving the Age of Man. But the two obviously had separate goals and drastic measures would have to be taken to ensure their compliance.

The journey to saving this world would be long and arduous, but the two would make it. If not separate, then together.

 **X.**

Jaune admitted. He was going to lose. Whatever corporeal form he was in right now would not last against the might of this energized invader. Not to mention, the searing pain from whatever his foe took from him still hurt him, and when ever he moved to intercept it blazed in a glorious agony that nearly made him gag in pain. But he smvtood tall and ignored the burns that his current avatar was suffering as he physically pushed the giant eye away from his soul.

Then something clicked. Not literally but there was a sudden and swift change. The Eye itself retracted. It felt it to.

But it took advantage of Jaune's momentary lapse in defense and it bypassed him quickly. And before Jaune could react it sent dozens of flaming tendrils into his blue soul.

They _both_ retracted in pain. Jaune spazzed on the ground, clutching his chest as the fiery burn in his chest ever so slowly retracted. The fiery Eye was screeching and waning and the fire surrounding it tightened as pain racked its body. It focused its one pupil on him and sent three tendrils flying at him.

To his credit he did manage to connect his fist with two of the approaching limbs. And it hurt him. Not because of the fire, which mind you still hurt, but it was like he was the one punched.

The third tendril of burning hellfire speared right through him and he let out a gurgle as the Eye began to screech again. Jaune felt fire searing his back, his front, and even the inside of his body as the pillar of fire impaled him. It quickly retracted and the wound it left quickly healed.

But the burning lingered within him and he coughed and wheezed as he tried to regain control of his breathing and reign in the pain. He instinctually clutched the place on his chest where the hole should have been. The Eye again spazzed and the fire around it tightened as it convulsed in pain. It screeched and it seemed to flicker back to its previous form, before its flaming coating returned.

They both suffered there. Tethered together by their pain they didn't sense nor see that another force had joined them. Maiar and human felled by pain. One old, timeless, angry and wanting. The other, hopeful, young, weak, but full of potential..

It was small at first. Nothing but wisps of chilly air. It gave him some reprieve, and slowly he began to heal. It nursed his burnt flesh and it gave him sharp relief from the sweltering heat radiating off the Eye.

Blue gales wafted through, ethereal and flowing like string it nursed his pains and he felt his breathing return to normal. Then, words of terrible winter and ice came with the force of a sudden storm.

 **'Behold. Dark Lord Sauron. Enemy to all free races of Middle Earth. Reduced to this shade. A mockery of shadows.**

A woman appeared when those words were spoken. The word beauty and fair couldn't describe her. She was tall with skin like pale snow. Her long hair flowed behind her like a golden river that glowed with a the light from a fleeting candle fire.

And yet Jaune felt no attraction to her. To look at her was like to look at an ice covered peak or a spring touched meadow. Stunning and breathtaking, but having no chance to fall in love with.

 _'Hold your tongue elf. You are aware of who you speak to.'_

So she was an elf? Jaune maneuvered himself and found that indeed she had the long pointed ears that belonged to elves. Or that's what the bed times stories his parents told him.

 **'You're threats mean nothing to me, Formless and Abhorrent. You have no power here.'**

 _' I have enough. I've risen enough times from the ashes of defeat time and time again. Even death is no obstacle for me. Middle Earth is mine._

The elf's voice was like winter, blunt, powerful, and chilling. Sauron's was like a small fire. Burning and with the undertone of it growing to be so much more. Sauron shifted uneasily, aggressively holding his form back from attacking her. Who was this elf that the monster he was fighting wouldn't attack her.

 **'The world you know is gone. Moulded by time, the Middle Earth you knew is lost to time. What remains are lands changed by the hands of Men.'**

 _'Then I will corrupt their hearts and destroy them from the inside of their ranks. Like I've done before. Men are weak'_

 **'Men defeated you before. Not that the old gods will allow you to interfere. They have plans for you. And for young Jaune.**

Jaune sorely wished they hadn't directed their attention to him. Sauron's one eye was enough for Jaune to wish that he was encased in ice. Now he had the the eyes of winter and hellfire piercing his soul.

Just his luck.

 _'What does the fledgling have to do with this plan.'_

 **'You and young Jaune are essential in stopping their last mistake. After that, the Valar will finally fade and you can do as you please.'**

She said, putting a lot of emphasis on his name. But who was she talking about? Who were these Valar?

 _'Oh yes. I have sensed this darkness. It has consumed a large portion of this land.'_

 **'This darkness is relatively young, compared to the still lingering malice of Morgoth, but its become stronger. The Valar have tasked you with destroying it. Should you fail in this task or decide to play coward, know that this world would be doomed. I do believe Jaune knows this threat as 'Grimm'**

 **X.**

Sauron eyed the youngling who quailed at the term 'Grimm'. Indeed he had felt the darkness in the land, quite different from his own or his old master's. It was new. It was strong. It was hungry. Yet it bided its time. Waiting and watching. It was hiding its main forces somewhere, allowing only some of its meandering forces to do most of its work.

Sauron himself scoffed at the idea. Not that he knew any better of war. He had lost twice after all.

The ethereal elf gave him a look of exasperation, and from his knowledge and assumptions, he assumed that the elf was somewhat blessed with some form of ability of reading his thoughts. To answer his thoughts on the matter, she smirked at him and only nodded.

Sauron growled in return.

He had almost forgotten about the elf. Almost. Had it been any other circumstance Galadriel would have found herself dead by his will. But he was no fool. She was already pass the mortal realm, she was now and envoy of the Valar themselves. To strike her would prove fruitless and suicidal. Nothing in the mortal realm could harm her, save beings of extreme power or certain magical weapons. But to strike her would turn the Valar on him and he had no intentions in fighting the old gods.

 _'Then give me the power to do so. I will eradicate this problem with ease'_

 **'Do not think us fools. We are aware what you will you do if we have you power. You and Jaune will have to gain it for yourselves. Together as one entity. Your pain is his pain. His pain his yours. You're intervention will change the landscape of the his world. And when your quest is over peace will take you.'**

He watched as the elf raised her hands and elegantly brought them together with a small clap. And storms were bent to her will. There plain of existence was shattered by the spectre of the elf.

Gale winds, wild tempests, and strong storms flooded the void of subconscious and thick clouds of grey covered them completely.

He heard the whelp cry out in fear and he himself felt the feeling uncertainty well in him. Then with a sound of like lightning being born, he felt his form torn asunder and with what remnants remained were drawn into the boy's feä.

Full blown fear took him as he realized what the Valar intended. And that what remained with him turned angry and as his perfect Maiar soul intertwined with the soul of the fledgling.

The golden soul of a perfected Maiar mixed with the blue, potential filled soul of a man. At first the two opposite souls collided together, and spectral energy crackled and fractured.

But within the chaos, equilibrium formed. It started at the center, a speck of white among so much colors. Then slowly it spread, overtaking the rest. Then at last the entire soul was white. Overpowering on its own, thousands of colors lays beneath the surface. Potential lay within, and with it the potential of it becoming anything they desired.

X

Jaune woke with a jolt and in a cold sweat. His stomach grumbled in pain and his breathing itself was shaky and rapid. He tumbled out of his bed, his blankets constricting and uncomfortably hot, and dry heaved as he felt something course is way through his body. It felt heavy, cold and wrong.

A daze had settled on him. He felt as though he had forgotten something incredibly. But at the moment he was too preoccupied to remember the strange dream he had. Something was wreathing inside him and he felt his body shiver and be wracked with trembling.

His coughing worsened and he began to lose vision in his left eye. He quickly and as quietly as he could muster, forced himself to the bathroom. Jaune quietly made his way through one of the halls of the Arc Manor, his hastened paces making the wooden floor boards creak and groan. His coughing and hacking also didn't help him conceal his journey to the bathroom.

Jaune thanked what ever deity was currently laughing at him as he made it to the restroom. He gagged and made himself throw up into the sink. The vile escaped his body and found itself in the sink. It left an ashy and burning sensation in his mouth and he quickly went to spit what was left of the horrid taste into the sink. To his horror, it was a black tar-like substance, that just screamed unhealthy and **wrong**. The fact that it had come out of him, made him shiver with fear,

He started to breathe better and his body began to settle down. But there was still some lurking wrongness in his body and his body was quick to eject it from him. He gagged again and this time the shadowy sickness was accompanied by an orange, thinner substance that burned him like fire. His breathing was once again labored and he felt absolutely exhausted as he voided the contents of his stomach into the sink.

Luckily for him his body no longer needed to dispel anything more from him, but there was a remaining dull ache within him. Especially in his heart, like it had been burned by an intense flame. He took several seconds just to catch his breathe and revel in the newly christened healthiness he felt at the moment.

His vision in his left eye was still impaired, but at least he had solved one of the many problems that plagued him at the moment. It was like he was looking through a rather old camera, with his vision distorted yet clear at the same time. He moved swiftly to the bathroom mirror, reminding himself to wash away his vile. At first it withheld against the water, but to his relief the shadowy vomit disappeared into the drain.

With one problem literally down the drain, Jaune found resolve in himself to look at the mirror.

Two different eyes stared back at him. One a vibrant blue, bordering on the color of sapphire with its glow. It was far brighter and prominent then what he was used to. Looking at it filled him with strength and confidence, and he actually felt good about himself for once. Never before had his dull blue eye looked so vibrant and powerful.

The other made him want to curl into himself from disgust and fear. It doesn't even look like it was his eye. It was an obsidian slit wreathed in flame. The flames billowed yet did not burn him and the eye seemed to not belong to him, moving on it's own, yet seemingly following his own commands at the same time. Shadow and fire twisted and knotted, chaos given form,s and yet their was power within that black pupil and the longer he stared at it, the more he lost himself in its gaze.

Instinctually he lifted his left hand to touch it but a voice in his head was vehement in him not doing it.

 _'I would advise you not to do that fool'_

The voice cut through him like a knife, and he stiffened with fear and recognition. He had heard that voice before, he had fought against that voice before.

"What?" It couldn't be. He must still be sick. He needed to get rest and quickly too.

 _'Impudent fool. You are unaware of what happened? How the accursed Valar have cursed me to be bound to you.'_

Jaune could only stay still and silent. What could he think? Let alone say. He currently had a supernatural being in his head from a bygone age. Jaune silently prayed that these were just side effects from whatever sickness had taken him.

 _'Ah yes. I can see how a simple minded fool like you would act in such away. Lesser beings have lost their sanity when they confronted me.'_

"What are you?" Jaune asked. If he was going to function with this entity, the most he could do at the moment would to be at least find out what he was currently living with.

If it was capable of being louder it certainly proved it when it declared what it was.

 _' I am Sauron! Mightiest of the Maiar! The Second Dark Lord! The Deciever of the Elves! The Enemy to all the free races of Middle Earth. The true Lord of the Rings.'_

The voice inside his head boomed with might, and it rattled his mind.

Great, a powerful Maiar now resided within him. What ever that was. That in itself wasn't too bad, but the fact was that it currently had taken a very noticeable position in his left eye socket.

"Why are you here! And what happened to my left eye!"

He asked harshly. Why did he have to be chosen for this! He couldn't even get into Signal academy, let alone fight this darkness that had these 'old gods' so scared. Why him of all people?

 _'The Valar have chosen us to combat this darkness. But they have seemed to lost their minds in the eons' passings because they have tethered us together into one vessel. Especially with someone like you._

Jaune chose to ignore the insult, and at least be grateful that he got some form of answer out of him.

"Why put us together then? Surely you're strong enough to stop it yourself."

Maybe if he played his cards right he cold make Sauron leave his body. Especially if he convinced him how weak he was.

 _' A weakling, yet having a hint of sense and deception? Perhaps this could work. But no I don't have the strength or knowledge to pull our feäs apart. Not that I could. The Valar have stitched them together with meticulous threads of power and if I attempted to, there would be inevitably be some consequences for doing so.'_

So he had seen through his veil and seen his intentions. Well at least it was worth a try.

"Why? And what happened to my left eye!"

Why did the have to curse him like this! He didn't even believe in any gods. Were they punishing him for not believing in them until now?!

 _'A power move against me. Had they not, I would have consumed the rest of your feä. And, I am your left eye._

'Great. Just great. How could this get any worse?'

He thought, with a rather large scowl on his face. Now he had voices in his head and this thing had taken form of his left eye. How was he going to explain this everyone! _Hey everyone I got some spirit in my head talking to me and he's actually my left eye._ That's sounded even dumber in his head than he thought.

 _' From my eons of experience, I can say things can get much worse. And you are quite right, it does sound quite ludicrous.'_

It took Jaune a moment to realize what just happened.

'Wait you can hear me?'

 _'Of course fool. We are in the same vessel, and we do share the same mind and feä.'_

'What the hell! That's creepy as fuck!' Now he had someone knowing exactly what he was thinking. Great. Just great.

' _Do know it is not by my decision. Please resist yourself from making any unpleasant thoughts or ideas. I could care less how you treat the females of your race or how you view yourself. Just know I will not tolerate anything that will annoy me or hinder me in anyway._

'Well this fuc-'

"Jaune! Are you alright!"

Jaune's inner musings were cut short when a voice called down from below. His mother had heard him being sick, her years of being a huntress porbbaly paying off with her hearing him vomiting in the sink.

'Shit. This isn't good.'

 _'What worries you so? Those voices pose no threats to us at the moment. But even if they do, I'm quite sure, even with your pathetic mortal body, you could kill them._

Jaune quickly thought back his response. 'I can't kill them! They're my parents!' Not to mention his entire family were either hunters or hunter in training. They could all kill him or plainly just knock him out with a single hit. The fact that he was the weakest member of the family didn't escape him.

 _'I don't see the problem.'_

'You're obviously the problem here.' Jaune mentally exclaimed. He didn't know whether he was going to go crazy from this or if he already was.

 _'Excuse me!'_ Sauron exclaimed indignantly.

'Okay look. If my parents, my family, find out about this, they'll flip and that'll make more problems for us in the end.' Logic had to play a serious role in the mess they were in right now.

Sauron stayed silent for several seconds, each one making Jaune wanting to curl into himself as he heard he familiar creaks and groans of the stairs as his mother trekked up to their floor.

 _'What do you propose we do then?'_

This time it was Jaune's turn to go silent as he slowly thought up a plan. Perhaps if he-

 _'That idea is preposterous. It would never work.'_ Sauron piped in, destroying Jaune's train of thought.

'Wait. You could hear that!'

 _' Please tell me that your stupidity will run out eventually. I already told you we share the same vessel. Of course I can see and hear your plans. And I'm telling you that plan is not going to work._

'You have any better ideas?' Jaune bit back. The thought of someone listening in on everything he thought of slightly unnerving him.

 _'If they pose a problem we will dispose of them. Sometimes the simplest plans are the best ones.'_ He commented, his voice filled with snark. Jaune felt himself lose another point from his sanity level.

'I'm not having this conversation again. I'm not doing that cause their my family and I have morals'

 _'Your morals will get you killed. But fine we'll do it your way. What do you propose we do then?'_

'Can you like...dim yourself?'

 _'Excuse me?'_

'You know? Extinguish yourself! Make yourself less...flamey'

 _'Besides your terrible vocabulary, I will not allow myself to be lowered to any degree. I am a Maiar, and the mightiest of them. I will face them in my full power.'_

There little mental tirade was cut short, with a small knocking on the door. It was quickly followed by a quiet voice saying "Jaune? Are you all right?"

Undoubtedly to Jaune that was his mother, drawn out by his coughing and his loud, obnoxious journey to the bathroom.

'Alright this isn't going to please you, but this is the only way out of this right now, so just hang on for now.'

 _'Wait what are you planning...No no! I already told you it wouldn't work. No! Don't you dare! You impudent fo-'_

To Jaune's credit they both roared in agony. It felt like he had been dunked in liquid nitrogen and the cold from it was so harsh it burned. Water fell from his hair and dripped off his face as he quickly found something to towel off the water.

Why did he think dunking water on them was such a good idea!

The knocking increased a the sound of their pain. "Jaune! Are you alright! Open the door!"

His mother called out louder, no doubt waking the rest of the inhabitants of their floor..

'Alright one more thing. One more thing, you can do this.'

 _'Don't you dare! You son of a bit-'_

Once again they mentally roared in agony as they collided with the edge of the door frame. He had his left eye covered by his hands as it already began to turn red from him banging himself in the face on the wooden architecture.

Jaune clutched his left eye has he slumped agaisnt the bathroom door. Steeling himself and ignoring the booming, pained voice of Sauron in his head, along with the dull pain in his left eye, he opened the door.

His mother stood on the other side of it, looking quite worried, in her white bathrobe. Two of his sisters were behind her, Lapis and Luli, the two youngest sisters of the Arc family, who in fact were also twins. No doubt they would have been awoken by his violent coughing and loud screams of pain. And being the good little sisters they were, had come to see if he was doing well.

They looked at him with worried, albeit with some annoyance in them from being awoken at such a early time.

Most of the Arc sisters had gotten most of their traits from their father, with their blonde hair, and blue eyes. Some of them however, like Lapis and Luli had eyes mixing the two colors of their parents, emerald and blue turning their eye color to that of a light teal.

Their pretty eyes however, were overshadowed by their annoyed, and tired faces. He merely waved at them in apology.

"Are you alright! What happened to your eye!" His mother frantically fussed over him making sure to check his most likely bruised left eye. It seems that with Sauron's presence diminished he could close his left eye's lid, which was particularly helpful at this time. However it was getting quite uncomfortable especially with Sauron yelling obscenities into his head and his fiery eye reigniting within his eyelid. Yes it was very uncomfortable.

"I-I uhhh got sick. Must've been something I ate. And I accidentally hit my eye on my way on the way here. Hehe" he said nervously, rubbing the back his neck with his free hand.

 _'Seems your deception and cunning needs some work. Along with some other matters. I find the most disturbing is how you have little to no self confidence.'_

Jaune felt himself deflate at the comment, his natural slouch returning. But with a snort of defiance he straightened his spine, apparently catching his mother and sisters by surprise. The twins actually took actually took a step backwards, realizing how tall their bumbling brother actually was. He had forgotten that he had outgrown his mother by at least three inches. The doctor had said however that he still had at least nine more inches before he reached his final height.

He felt approval within him. Not all of it was his own.

His mother took a closer look at his bruised eye, and Jaune began to pray that she didn't notice that someone had taken residence in his left eye socket. Hopefully Sauron knew how to not make himself visible through the thin layer of flesh..

"It's definitely going to be a black eye. All you need to do is ice it for a couple of hours. It'll be gone within the week." She said as she gently prodded the closed and swollen eye with her thumb. She gently massaged the bruised flesh, which brought some comfort to Jaune.

"Uh mom?" She visibly straightened and turned to him with a small smile. She retook her hand and she quietly ushered his two younger sisters back to their beds.

"Can you get me like an eye patch? I don't want to go around with a black eye. They'll make fun of me.", he said adding a bit of a pout to it for an added effect. He had no need to tell his mother who he meant.

 _'Clever. Perhaps there is hope for you.'_

'Shut it. This is all your fault. Can you see through my eye patch?'

 _'You don't know who you speak to. I am the all seeing eye. I peer through muscle, bone, and soul alike.'_

That brought some relief to Jaune. At least he wouldn't be completely blind in his left eye. And it seemed that Sauron indeed had better vision then he did, even with his eyelid closed.

"I'll bring one to your room. Now get some sleep.", his mother told him as she went back down stairs.

He stood there for a moment with what one could call inner peace. However the dam broke and all that had happened, all that he had become, crashed down on him and he staggered and fell.

He was scared. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't qualified at all for this. He was barely qualified to even dream.

Jaune slowly crawled his way to his bedroom, careful not to make as much noise as he did before.

 _'How are you so strong yet so weak_ ' Sauron hissed in his mind. Jaune flinched at the amount of distaste in the Maiar's voice. He shut the door to his room, revealing its contents to the old spirit.

Posters of dragons against knights, dioramas of heroes against the Grimm, and everything he dreamed about. He had long gotten rid of his old action figures and other childish things. He kept the posters up to help encourage him, fill him with confidence to tackle the day. Also along the walls were various exercise and regiments that were meant to help him enter and pass the Signal Academy entrance exam.

It had failed. His measly months of training, no matter how brutal, no matter how much he wanted to or pushed himself, could make up for years of training and attending schools dedicated to combat. He had fallen behind, while all his siblings had entered Signal, the eldest of his sisters, Diamond, actually managing to become a full fledged Huntress. The others followed close behind her, leaving him in the dust. Even the youngest twins were being accepted into Signal soon.

He felt Sauron eye the walls of his room, and couldn't help but feel self conscious with the spirit eyeing the room. He was the dreamer of the family. Always had been, always would be to.

 _' What is it that you desire? Do you wish to be a knight? A hero?'_

' I want anything. Hey make me a dragon. Just anything other than me.'

 _'What you are now will always be what you are. Unless you do something about it'_

Jaune sighed in irritation as he flopped on his bed. He gave a sigh of relief as he sunk into the comfy mattress.

'I did do something about it. It didn't work.' He bit back. He had faced it alone, tired his best and ultimately failed. Perhaps if he had asked for help from his family before he applied then maybe he would have been let in. But he didn't. He was too stubborn and prideful to do that. He had a legacy to uphold.

 _'Then obviously you didn't do the right thing.'_ Sauron voiced, with a tone like that of someone declaring something very obvious.

' I trained! I trained so much! But no matter how much I conditioned my body, no matter how much I tired it didn't work.'

 _'You think measly training will get you anywhere?! You need experience fool. Any mortal can learn how to swing a sword. Any mortal can be taught to march in uniform lines_ _. Any mortal can be taught how to hold his shield_ _. But not every mortal can **kill**. Not every mortal can achieve victory form nothing. Not every mortal can change their **destiny**.'_

'Then how do you propose I do it then! Because right now, it seems like I'm going to end up like a useless nobody.'

 _'I can give you power! I can give you a form where you can tear apart your foes with out flinching. Fire and ash will be yours!_

'And what should I give to you?'

 _'Your soul. Give me your portion and your dreams of being more that who you are now_.'

Jaune almost took it. He almost fell for it. He wanted that power. He wanted to be something more than what he was.

It was a ploy. Instead of benefiting him in the end, Sauron would. Sauron was trying to play him, like the demons in those horrible horror flicks. And he was not going to play the stupid, helpless victim today.

'No'

He could feel Sauron growl with approval, but Jaune knew he would never admit it or tell him why he did to begin with.

 _'And why not?'_

' I'll be a hero on my own power. My own determination and will. I won't let anyone step in my dream's path. Even me.'

 _' And if you fail? If you can't succeed on your own?'_

'Then I'll use your power.'

He could feel the shock from Sauron within him. He could feel his own shock from saying that

' I had thought you wished to achieve it with your own power.

'I do. Your power is my power. My pain is my pain. Galadriel told us this. No matter what dreams we both have were stuck together.'

 _'I won't give up my power! It dominated the old world! Why should I bend it to your will?'_

'You don't need to. Just give it to me and I'll give you mine in return.'

 _'What type of deal are you trying to run here? What's your goal?'_

'I'm trying to get us to work as one here.'

 _'And why should I work together with you? You're one of the weakest mortals I've ever seen.'_

Jaune had to breathe and ready himself for his retort.

'Because you are weak too'

If he had expected Sauron to take that sitting down, which he didn't, but Sauron did surpass Jaune's expectations.

 _'What_!'

Cursed fire filled his head, and he wanted to scream in agony. It quickly subsided, most likely Sauron suffering from the pain as he did. But the emotions of anger and hate were there.

'You know this. We're both weak. That's why we're together. Cause we're strong together. That's why she put us together.'

 _'As if I can accomplish anything with you. No, this world is mine. I will make it bend under my heel.'_

'Why is it always world domination with you! What is your goal with it!'

Sauron remained silent for several moments and it gave Jaune time to relax. He allowed the soft and cool touch of his sheet and mattress give him some comfort from his hectic night,

 _'I don't need to explain myself to you. Fool .'_ He answered distastfully. Jaune felt some annoyance well up inside of him, but he squashed it. Getting angry at the voice inside his head wouldn't do anyone good.

'Well can you answer me one question?'

Sauron mentaly growled with displeasure in his head, before he sharply replied _'It rather depends on the question. If it's a stupid one I will not answer you.'_

'What are you?'

 _'I've repeated this answer before fool. A Maiar.'_

'Yes I know that. But what is it?'

Jaune was not aware he could feel someone else being flabbergasted, but the utter shock that trembled through his entire body made him shiver. Sauron himself was inner turmoil in his head and he imagined that it was like a tempest of swirling fire and ash up there. Jaune assumed that it wasn't healthy for him. The storm of emotion eventually calmed and a sense of foreign understanding filled him.

 _'Originally I had blamed your lack of knowledge on you just being a massively foolish plebeian, but I suppose the amount of time I've been...gone, would explain why you don't know anything of Valar or Maiar.'_

'Are you going it to explain to me?' Jaune asked hopefully. He desperately wanted to find a bridge of understanding between the two and if the only way was for Sauron to tell him some tales of these 'Maiar' and 'Valar', then Jaune would willingly listen. Who knows? Perhaps it would be a great tale.

 _'Yes. I suppose I should. If only to fill your head with some useful knowledge. Well let's begin with the eldest being in our universe. The Creator. Eru Ilúvatar._

Jaune was surprised to hear that Sauron held some...reverence for this Eru. To hear that from Sauron, who up to this point had shown only unparalleled superiority for himself.

' _I am...not quite certain on how he created the universe. The method of creating something of that magnitude and of such complexity was lost on me. But with his thoughts he created the Valar_ _. And to aid the Valar he created the Maiar. We were called the Ainur and he birthed us from his thoughts._

'How many Valar were there?'

 _' I suggest that you don't interrupt me again. If it's in your best interest to have my tales inish as fast as possible. There were fifteen Valar. Manwë, Melkor, Ulmo, Aulë, Oromë, Mandos, Lorien, Tulkas, Varda, Yavanna, Nieanna, Estë, Vairë, Vana, and Nessa. They all ruled a certain aspect of this world and all of them were immensely powerful._

And Sauron continued his tale far into the night, detailing the story as far as the War of the Ring. But there were details missing. Jaune couldn't put his finger on it, but there were some...elements missing his story. There were things that weren't adding up and he chose to confront his mental roommate about it.

'Which side were you on?' Jaune could actually feel the approval and surprise emanating from the Maiar.

 _'I'm actually surprised you picked up on my mistakes. Perhaps there is hope for you. And to answer your question I sided with Melkor. In fact I was his most trusted Lieutenant. Then I took up his mantle of Dark Lord and I sought to finish what he started. I failed in the end however. My own power my undoing._

Jaune felt a tremble of fear rack his body. The spirit in his head had faithfully served the primordial origin of evil of the world. He was his god damned lieutenant. Then he sought to finish what his master had started. Yet only one question came to mind.

'Why?'

Sauron was silent for several moments. Jaune could feel the storm of foreign emotions in his head, mostly that consisting of confusion, and a sense of loss.

 _'Perfection. I sought to give your world perfection. The mortal races were wasteful, they didn't truly appreciate what Eru had made for them. Melkor promised me that the world would be inbalance and in order. There would be complete and utter subjugation and we would guide you to true order.'_

'Even if that meant taking away everyone else's freedom?'

 _'Yes.'_

'That's stupid. Everyone should be free to do what they want.'

 _'Your world is ugly and disorderly. I sought to fix it._ '

'Our world is beautiful just the way it is. Eru made it this way for a reason.'

 _'Eru was a fool to think it would last. What he made could be seen as a great flame, but eventually that will fade away.'_

'Then I'll prove to you our world isn't ugly. I'll show you how beautiful it truly is.' With that mental declaration he expected a lot of things from Sauron. That didn't include him laughing.

 _'What about a wager then? You prove to me how this world deserve to stay at it is. **I'll** prove to you why this world needs to change.'_

Jaune gulped and wet his lips. 'And what are we wagering?'

 _'Our control of our feä. If I win. I'll take yours. If you win. You take mine.'_

'I thought we shared a soul.'

 _'We do, but make no mistake. I control a portion while you control the other. If one we're to lose control of our said feä, the other would become far more powerful.'_

Jaune once again gulped. If he won, he would regain his soul, but if he lost...he would lose what little he had. But he couldn't back down from this. No he would beat Sauron at this wager of his. Even if it killed him.

'Its a deal.'

Sauron laughed loudly in his mind as Jaune felt some regret seep into his resolve. He had literally made a deal with the devil, and he was all alone to face him.

He took a deep breath and allowed himself to calm down. To get through this endeavor he would need some sleep and fast. Jaune checked the clock on his wall, and to his horror found that it was nearing four in the morning. He quickly shuffled in his bed, settling in to the soft pillow and allowing the warm covers of his bed to give him a wave of comfort.

When his eyes closed and a semblance of comfort eased itself into his mind, he found that Sauron had another question for him.

 _'What are you doing?'_

'I'm trying to sleep. I don't know about you, but us 'mortals' need our rest. We actually die if we don't get enough thought to his Maiar mental roommate. Sauron seemed to ponder this, and the silence between them was rather relaxing.

 _'I will admit, I have been feeling rather...weak. This sleep is doing an acceptable job of alleviating it.'_

'Are you saying that you're actually tired?'

 _'The state of being 'tired' is a feeling that no Maiar was designed to have. Only certain Maiar and Mortals were meant to sleep, to conserve to their pitiful strength. I must have gained this trait from you.'_

'Well, I'm sorry but sleeps essential to me.'

 _'Pitiful mortal. But this state of sleeping I will admit is rather...enjoyable. It gives me strength. Perhaps now I can face the accursed elf.'_

'Who is she?' If what Sauron was true about the Maiar, for a single woman, not mattering if she was an elf or not, to resist and actually defeat one was incredible,

 _'The elf women that tied us together holds the title as Galadriel, Lady of Lothlorien and a rather large thorn in my side for a very long time. I had thought she would have faded along with the rest of her race, but it seems that the remaining Auinur have combined what little strength they have to send us that message.'_

'They're putting a lot of faith is us to stop the Grimm. They've been around for centuries. How can we stop them?'

 _'Easy enough asnwer. We cut the head off the proverbial snake.'_

'Wow! I never thought about it!' Jaune thought back with large amounts of sarcasm in his thoughts. 'Only problem is I never killed a Grimm.'

 _'That is a problem welp. We will have to start training soon. Some sword forms, fighting styles, and actual encounters will do the trick. We'll start tomorrow.'_

Jaune blinked in surprise, and felt a form of...gratitude for the Maiar. His family had given up on his training, his older sisters usually busy with school or on their own hunter missions, while his father and mother ran around, doing jobs and trying to provide for their huge family. It wasn't that he held a grudge against them, it was just extremely difficult to find some free time for him to get some training from his parents or his older siblings. Not to mention not getting accepted in Signal was a massive blow to him.

'Really?'

 _'Of course. If were going to stop this threat of the Grimm, we must train as soon as possible. Not to mention if we finish their request, I'll be alone in this world, uncontested.'_

'Well that's nice and all, but I'm going to enjoy the amount of rest I'm getting right now.', Jaune responded back as he unconsciously snuggled deeper into his blankets, its heat and softness being far more appreciative and enjoyable.

 _'Yes I must admit this sleep is quite...enjoyable. You mortals do this every night?'_

'Sometimes we do it during the day as well. Sometimes we don't even wake up for days at a time.' Such talk reminded of Jaune of a point where his parents had went on a mission, and when they returned they slept for two days straight. Quite an achievement in regards to the house of Arcs.

 _'I look forward to it. Now with this sudden complication thrown upon us I'd li-'_ Sauron was silenced by a loud banging on their door and loud commotions from all over the manor, signaling the beginning of a new day for the Arc family.

'Morning already?!' Jaune questioned with great scrutiny as he pried his eyes open and glared at the wall mounted clock that read the time at precisely 7:00. Internally Jaune felt his body groan in protest, instinctively wanting more rest and shut eye. And gratefully he wasn't the only one.

 _'Time seems to have been altered when you closed your eyes. We are being deceived by some form of magic, get back in the bed and close your eyes and see if this illusion will hold.'_

A softer knocking at his door peaked caught his attention and he quickly got up to answer it, despite Sauron's grumbling. Remembering his cover up from last night, Jaune made sure to softly rub his left eye, before he retracted it realizing that Sauron had taken up residence within it once again.

'Dim yourself.' Jaune hissed with urgency as he made his way to the door. Sauron began to retaiaiting again at him verbally, but realizing that it wasn't worth it, allowed the fire of his presence to retreat back into Jaune's body.

'Thanks.' Sauron just gave his impression of a grunt before he responded with.

 _'Answer the one at the door, before I force us to return to that blissful bed. Dawn's light as not yet chosen to fully peak over the horizon, we have time for more sleep. After that we will begin to train you and see how much work is needed before we head outt on our quest.'_

Jaune full heartedly agreed with the plan, but unfortunately the Arc family would not take sleeping-in from its perfectly healthy family members. Wheh the days young, that meant more could be achieved, wether it be some mundane task or out in the world gaining wealth and glory, the Arc family would always rise to the call of dawn's first shine.

Checking himself in the mirror, he quickly began to actively rub his left eye and ignored the dull ache emanating from the bruised flesh. Satisfied with what he saw, he quickly opened his bedroom door and found himself face to face with his mother.

Full of early morning energy the matriarch of the Arc family greeted him with a small smile. Until she saw him rubbing his left eye. At that time she just tsked in annoyance, before she began to softly chide him.

"Don't rub your eye. Your only going to keep it worse. Here.", she said as she presented to him an eyepatch. It was the generic kind, not the exuberant and lavish ones he often saw on those terrible action movies or what several rich and famous hunters had wore before.

 _'You mortals have no taste in looks.'_ Sauron commented as Jaune began fastening the eyepatch to his head, sliding the black piece of fabric over his eye.

'I don't know why you're complaining. This is your fault after all.' Jaune shot back as he fidgeted with the unfamiliar piece of clothing.

"Leave it be. Now come down for breakfast, before your sisters and your father eat everything." His mother said as she began to make her way down the stairs. Jaune quickly followed her, and he took several moments to appreciate the decorated and cozy halls of the Arc Manor. The Manor had been in the Arc family for generations and while not as large as the other famous families of Remnant it was still large enough to accommodate his entire family and have extra room for luxury and additional commodities.

 _'I've seen better. My tower of Barad-dur puts any of your manors to shame.'_ Sauron commented. Jaune would have to remember that his mind didn't all belong to him and he had an ever present observer who was willing to comment on everything.

'You had a tower?'

 _'Of course. There I could observe my conquest of Middle Earth. It also aided in the intimidation of the mortals, break their morale, show them how far they had to reach to stand at my level.'_

'Why do I get stuck with the second Dark Lord of all things? Why not the Lord of the Forest or something? Why do I get stuck with the bent on conquering the whole world?' Jaune thought. He didn't know wether he meant it as a joke or if he was being serious, but Sauron seemed not to care about it.

 _'You've taken the fact of who I am rather well. I had expected more dramatic and emotional reactions.'_ Sauron commented, ignorant of Jaune's true feelings towards the old Maiar.

'To be fair, you scare the hell out of me.' Sauron growled with pride at his answer.

 _'As you should be. I have felled greater men and elves than you can possibly imagine.'_

'But I'm shouldn't be.' He could feel Sauron lift a proverbial eyebrow at that.

 _'And why not? You know who I am and what I've done.'_

Jaune gathered his courage and his wits as he prepared what he was going to say. Or rather think would be the correct term.

'Two reasons actually. First one, you can't hurt me without hurting yourself. Second you've already made that wager with me.'

Sauron began laughing and the sound made Jaune flinch in fear of what his mental roommate was thinking.

 _'What makes you think I can't break the wager? What makes you think I can't break **you**?'_

'Cause if you did, you'd break our wager and the prize would be off. Even if you did break me, make me want your power, you wouldn't be able to have mine. If it was possible you'd already have done it.'

It was silent after Jaune's retort. If someone had blinked Sauron and Jaune would have heard it. There was churning storm in his mind, growing, feeling. Then it was gone and replaced by the rumbling of thunder. Only it wasn't.

' _HAHAHAHAHAHHA'_ Sauron cackled within the confines of their mind. It was loud, and it seemed to echo through the hall way they were walking through.

 _'Perhaps this will actually work. I've misjudged you boy. There is hope for this quest after all. We will train immediately after we deal with the pain in our stomach.'_

To punctuate his declaration, Jaune's stomach began grumbling loudly. And Sauron nearly went into a panic attack, not truly recognizing what the natural functions of a **mortal** body were.

 _'Quickly fool, we must find a healer immediately. Your stomach is most likely poisoned. If we don't find medical attention soon I'm afraid we'll perish. Oh no! I can already feel the poison's affect. It hurts!'_

'Calm down would you? It isn't poison. My stomach is growling because we're hungry. Humans kinda need it to survive you know?' With Jaune's reassurance Sauron finally calmed down, and Jaune knew he would never admit it, but he could feel the lingering feeling of embarrassment.

 _'Ah yes. I forget that you mortals are incredibly fragile. So where do we remedy this hunger of ours?'_

'Well that's where we're going right now.' Jaune said with a smirk as he arrived at a large, decorated pair of wooden doors. Already he could hear the clanging of silverware and the loud conversations and various topics being discussed.

He quietly opened the door, hoping that everyone would be too embroiled with the usual chaos of breakfast to notice him. Jaune of course was immediately the center of the entire family's attention. All conversations had ended, food laid forgotten for several moments, and all eyes were trained on him.

 _'We will work on your stealth later on.'_

He was immediately swarmed by his sisters, with the exceptions of Lapis and Luli, who were already aware of his eye injury. The rest of his sisters we already asking questions and all in all being annoyingly protective of him.

" What happened to you?" Diamond, the eldest asked as she fussed over him, making sure that there wasn't anything else wrong with him. Diamond, tall and beautiful, was the perfect picture of a Huntress. Strong, capable, smart, and determined she had recently won many accolades and titles with the defense of the surrounding villages. Her weapon, Alba Mors, the White Death, was her weapon against the Grimm. The sword-spear was capable of shifting form into a compact rifle, and when wielded by Diamond she had proven to be on par with his parents, both with decades of experience.

On the battlefield she was nigh infallible, especially with her semblance, which allowed her to 'consume' power from fallen Grimm. Yet, with her ferocity on the front against the Grimm, she did a one-eighty when she came home. She was sweet, kind, and always willing to help her family on anything they wanted.

He felt someone lift his eyepatch, and luckily for them Sauron had sensed their intentions and had retreated from Jaune's left eye. They gently prodded it and they gave their own input about it.

"Slight bruising. Damage sustained from a strong, blunt object. No permanent damage to the eye. Full recovery expected in at least four days, barring any more sustained damage.", Beatrice mumbled to her self. Her eyes were like sharpened knives of emerald, peering at every imperfection on his black eye.

Beatrice was the self dubbed 'Field Medic', having training in the medical field _and_ with combat. And to be fair, Jaune was quite sure she had killed more things then heal people. That alone made her even scarier than Diamond.

Sanctus Mors, was a staff with two very different ends. The Holy Death's, damage dealing end, was a sturdy, slim blade capable of rending the flesh of Grimm with little to no effort. The end which aided with her position of field medic utilized the usuage of dust crystals to help accelerate the Hunter's natural ability to heal with their aura.

Beatrice gave a tsk, and with finishing her examination moved back to her spot to the tables followed by Diamond, trusting her younger sister's readings.

Emerald, and the elder twins Violet and Pearl, however fulfilled their roles as the teasing sisters quite well.

"Wow! Looking good lil bro.", Violet said, wrapping one of her arms around him. To her surprise she actually had to elevate her arm to actually do so. When did her little brother get so tall?

"You trying to get some girls with that new look?" Pearl teased, and Jaune felt his cheeks unconsciously blush from the teasing.

The eldest twins of the Arc family, Pearl and Violet, were the jokesters and the pranksters. Their mother had already received many calls froms Signal's professors, concerned with the twin's behavior and their usual pranks around the school. They would never listen of course, their mother giving up a long time ago.

"I'd think you would have a chance. If you actually had the nerve to speak to them.", Emerald said, giving him a sly smirk. He didn't know if she was being teasing or just plain mean. Emerald was very much like the older twins in terms of her personality. Her words were just a bit more...stinging then the elder twins.

 _'Are you just going to take this and not return any remarks of your own?'_ Sauron asked. Jaune could feel him observing them, studying them, finding anything he could about them in what time he had.

'Yes. If I do say something back it's only going to get worse for us.' Jaune replied, as he maneuvered out of the way of his teasing sisters, positioning himself at his usual spot at the dining table.

"Girls stop teasing your brother and finish your breakfast.", his father said from behind a large news paper. An elegant mug of coffee steamed beside him, and leaning against the table was the legendary Ignis Mors. The Flaming Death, a great axe embued with a fire dust crystal during its creation. When in the right hands, and when the wielder poured aura into it, it ignited with a dangerous flame, making it twice as deadly. Ignis Mors and his father were well known through the frontier for defending towns from Grimm and raiders alike.

Next to him was his mother, and not far away from her reach was the equally famous shotel, Argentum Mors. The shotel was one of the oldest weapons within the Arc family, but it had survived for a very good reason. Not only was it's primary form incredibly deadly, with a strong pull, the shotel's blade could be split apart to create a secondary short sword. Within her hands, Savannah was a literal storm of steel and sharp edges.

A life as a hunter had left them wary, and always on edge, even within the safety of their own homes. They always had their weapons around. Always, no matter the situation or place.

Jaune settled himself into his chair, and quickly grabbed the required platery and silverware. He gave the the familiar, and comforting breakfast spread, a look of pride.

 _'You mortals are quite...passionate about satisfying your hunger.'_ Sauron observed as they both regarded the table full of delectable breakfast items. And he wasn't wrong. The Arc family _loved_ eating as much as they loved combat. Tales of their feasts and parties were just as revered and read as tales of their feats of combat.

Salty, familiar, sunny-side up eggs, accompanied by fatty, delicious strips of bacon were plated all over the table. A hearty pot of breakfast porridge, mixed with chunks of succulent chicken flesh and flavorful greens stood at the center, half empty, yet still producing wafts of steam into the air. An entire loaf of bread had been toasted, and alongside it were half a dozen condiments. Donuts and Muffins were currently being ransacked by the youngest twins, who stuffed their faces with the sweet dough.

Cereal boxes were neatly lined up on one end of the table. All of them were opened and were at varying levels of emptiness. The Pumpkin Pete's Marshmellow Cereal only had a quarter of its contents left, while Bran's Boring Ass Oats was only touched upon by their father. Pitchers of milk accompanied them, along with a neat stack of bowls.

'Well we do have to eat a lot. Might as well make it pleasurable.' Jaune responded as he plated himself some eggs, and bacon. Two slices of toast stood near by, along with a bowl of steaming porridge. Jaune recollected that he indeed had vomited up a lot of content last night, a reason for how hungry he was currently.

He deftly sliced a piece off a egg, the semi hard white of the egg quickly being impaled on his fork. Jaune actually felt Sauron tense as the parcel of food inched closer to their mouths.

'Relax. It's only fo-' Whatever Jaune attempted to think was rather scrambled by him chewing the piece of egg in his mouth. His mind was blank, void of everything save the explosive taste of the egg in his mouth. Sauron too was almost broken by this entirely new experience for the Maiar.

And while both their minds shattered and began to fix themselves, Jaune continued to chew.

And chew.

And chew.

And chew.

Until at last Jaune subconsciously decided to swallow the delicious breakfast morsel.

It was comepltelly silent in his head. Both of them were reeling from the new experience with food, especially Sauron, who for a millennia had not worried at all about such mortal things like hunger.

But this. This was quite different. It was a new sensation, a new feeling. It gave him a form of warmth and left a lingering effect on his mind that he couldn't place. He had never tasted before. This new revelation of senasations and feelings needed to be recreated.

Immediately.

'More?'

 _'More.'_

And Jaune fell upon the delicious food with gusto. The eggs and bacon were quickly eaten, yet slowly chewed, a temperamental mix between wanting to eat as much as possible and to savor each bite. It was a whole new thing for the soul-bounded duo. Jaune's taste buds had apparently doubled by Sauron's presence, and the Maiar found himself enjoying this entirely new concept of his senses.

A piece of plain toast was quickly devoured, the browned bread crunching between his teeth. A glass of milk soon disappeared after it.

 _'Eru has blessed your kind with this sense of taste. To know that I've spent my entire existence ignorant to the pleasures of food. I'm stricken with grief.'_ Sauron complained as they enjoyed the bowl of porridge. It filled them with warmth and as Jaune finished the rest of it, a sated feeling washed over them. It was a calm feeling, a moment of contentedness filled them. Sauron as the first to shake it off.

 _'Alright, enough rest. We have a lot of work to do. Take us to where we can train alone.'_ Sauron voiced. Jaune mentally agreed and stood up from the dining table.

"I'm going into town today Mom.", he said as he finished the rest of his milk. His father gave him a glance from behind his newspaper, before turning to his mother. She gave him a small smile, before turning back to Jaune.

"Alright dear. Be back for dinner alright?" She said with a smile. He gave a smile in return before he rushed upstairs to get ready for his outing.

 _'You're acting isn't bad. I doubt they noticed a thing.'_ Sauron reassured as Jaune prepared himself for the day.

 **X.**

They had noticed everything. The adult Arc had noted everything of their only son. He was abnormally quiet, and didn't bite back at his sisters when they had begun to tease him. Then he had devoured his breakfast like had never eaten food in his life. **Then** Jaune had decided to go into town. By himself!

No, something was going on that needed immediate action. They had ignored his sudden change from six months ago, and how recently he had become rather despressed.

Savannah Arc would not take this laying down. Her baby boy had something troubling him and rather than go to his family for help had opted to take care of it himself. Brave, but stupid. Maybe he had trouble with a local gang?! Maybe he was doing drugs and had created his own drug cartel!? Maybe he was being recruited into a secret organization, formed to combat against the evils of the world!?

Maybe she was being too paranoid.

"Diamond. Beatrice." Only the eldest of her daughters would be suited for this mission. They would have to fulfill their duty as Jaune's oldest sisters and watch over him and make sure he was truly okay.

Dutifully they stood by her. Ready for her commands.

"Watch Jaune. Take care of him. Make sure everything about him is alright."

Savannah didn't need to turn around as her daughters disappeared with a flash of speed. Her hair fluttered from such sin intense displacement, fueled by sisterly love, and an evil smirk spread across her face. Her baby thought he could hide things from her? He couldn't be more wrong.

Matthias Arc gave his wife a wary look and when realizing her antics, he began his own machinations.

"Violet. Pearl. Protect your brother. Your mother is planning something."

There was only one logical answer for Jaune's rapid change in behavior. A girl. His son was becoming a man! No wonder he had been exercising so rigorously recently! He was trying to impress someone! He was being all dopey because he didn't know what to do! Now he was going on a date! His mother would never understand his intentions.

The eldest pair of twins vanished with the same impressive amount of speed as their older sisters. Today would be very interesting for Jaune indeed.

 **X.**

The town of Canvas, was one of the more advanced frontier towns. It was successful and with the resident family of the Arcs, and having its own combat ready militia, was capable of repelling most Grimm attacks and the rare bandit raid.

It flourished with business and tourist with its beautiful location in the wilderness of Vale, it was a flourishing town rife with civilians and military personnel alike.

 _'This settlement would be in ruins of it was attacked. Your protective walls are too small, and you have no chokepoints within to delay the enemy. Not to mention, I've seen no evidence of a defensive army.'_

'It's because we're in a state of relative peace. We have no need for every town to be defended by a big army.'

 _'What about this Grimm blight?'_

Jaune could only smirk in pride. 'That's what my family's for. The Arc family is well known for being great Hunters. We've been like that for generations.'

 _'You're family didn't seem to have many bows and arrows. And I doubt a great axe would be an effective hunting weapon.'_

'They aren't Hunters in the traditional sense. They're specifically trained to kill, or hunt Grimm. And they're pretty damn good at it.' Jaune thought with pride.

 _'Yes they seem to be quite exceptional. All of them do. Except you.'_

He could feel his ego break and ooze out of his body, as Sauron's laughter replaced it. That insult cut deeper than what Sauron probably thought it did. But instead of bringing him down further, it only fueled his determination. Today he would change that. Today he would start the the journey of becoming a powerful Hunter.

The Dojo, was Canvas's resident and only gym. It wasn't special in any way, possessing the usual and generic gym machines and other excercise equipment. No, what made the Dojo special was the large training yard behind it. It was hardy used, but it had all the required equipment that Jaune needed.

 _'Good. Grab the wooden sword and shield. We will start soon.'_

Jaune gripped the wooden 'sword', which in truth was only a heavy, long stick of polished wood. His shield was a simple warped plank, with a piece of rough leather acting as the handle. Jaune breathed in deeply and allowed what ever worries or self doubt to flow out of him. He was empty of pride and self loathing. He was ready to learn.

 _'Listen to what I say. And let your body flow to it.'_ Sauron said. Jaune trusted the Maiar here. He had spent his time with some of the greatest swordsman of their age. He had seen the military might of one of old world's greatest empires, even becoming its most trusted advisor. Admiting he did manipulate them to destroy themselves, but Jaune pushed that thought away. Sauron knew what he was talking about here.

 _'Shield up. A blow comes from the left. What do you do?'_

Instead of flat out answering Jaune forcefully brandished his shield in the general direction. Jaune himself could feel that he had done something wrong, especially as he had to right himself from such a forceful block.

 _'Do not attempt to attack the assault. Block it. There is no need for you to open yourself up and waste such potential energy on a futile move. Do it again.'_

Once again Jaune moved to block, holding the shield close to his body, his limbs were tight and to be perfectly honest he felt really cramped.

 _'Now you have no room. What happens when a powerful strike hits your shield? It'll make the purpose of the shield completely useless. Do it again.'_

Jaune gritted his teeth and one again brandished his shield, his body like unbending steel. It was silent for a moment, before Sauron's voice came back, filled with snark.

 _'Hardly acceptable. But better.'_

Jaune couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. Determination fueled the fire within him and his body yearned for more strenuous activity. He was ready to learn.

 **X.**

Above the Dojo's roof four figures peered down on the unknowing Jaune as he trained. The four Arc sisters felt dread etch itself into their hearts. Their little brother was trying to become a Hunter again. And this time he was serious if evident by the training he was subjecting to himself. Alone.

When Jaune ever put his mind he would never stop until he completed it or keeled over from exhaustion. Mostly it was the exhaustion part, but his stubbornness was reminiscent from the old tales of the Arc heroes. He wouldn't quit until it killed him. And his drive for this certain dilemma could actually get him killed.

The Arc family would always support Jaune. No matter what he wanted to become, but a Hunter was a dangerous profession they don't believe he was ready for. Hell, he didn't even know what aura was. Mom and Dad had made it very clear with Jaune concerning his aura.

No they needed to report this to mom as soon as possible. But they had rather pressing matters.

"Ohhhh. Achieve Men shirts are on sale! Come on Petal! "Violet screamed as she saw one of the sale posters being plastered on one of Canvas's many clothing outlets. Violet was a streak of yellow as she zipped off the roof and began making her way to the specific clothing store. Three blonde blurs followed closely behind.

 **X.**

 **So that's that for now. I really wanted to do an Rwby fanfic, cause it's an interesting world.**


	2. Machinations Begin

**Got a whole lot more love and attention than I thought I would. Thanks for all the love you've guys sent me. Here's chapter two and hopefully more intense than last chapter.**

 **Chapter Edit: Due to the many reviews and PMs about my grammar and spelling, I went back and attempted to fix them all. If I didn't please let me know. Otherwise I could use a beta.**

Jaune sighed as the smoothie chilled him down from the intense training session he had from Sauron. His legs, arms, and back felt like lead. Hell, he was a heap of lifeless lead at this point. However, the soft couch he was sitting in, and the nice air conditioning of the Hub, a local café he was rather fond of, brought some life back into him. Not to mention the rather delicious strawberry smoothie he and Sauron had decided on. It was between a regular vanilla shake, and a disgustingly green drink with a name he couldn't pronounce.

Sauron had said it translated to "Leaves of the Earth." Safe to say Jaune had decided on the strawberry refreshment.

Training itself wasn't horrible. Just tiring. Sauron had made it a point to make Jaune block with his shield and swing his sword properly hundred of times. He said it was good practice for the real thing. Not to mention when Sauron had instructed for him to stay in rather peculiar stances, had left Jaune with several painful cramps. Sauorn had pleaded he would learnt he purpose of them soon enough, even when he continued to complain of human frailty.

The effect made Jaune feel somewhat good about himself, but everything was sore. At this point, however, Sauron was complaining more then him.

 _'Damn your mortal frailty. The Elves were gifted were a natural tact to battle and perfect bodies. Why is man so weak!'_ Sauron grumbled as Jaune reclined further into the couch of the café they had stopped at. The Hub was close to home and had some of the best frozen treats in Canvas.

'Well I don't see any elves walking around. Do you?'

That got a laugh out of Sauron. _'No I don't. No I don't. Now drink more of that delicate elixir. It is quite pleasurable.'_

Jaune rolled his eyes as he took another sip from the delicious, and chilling strawberry smoothie. He mimicked Sauron's groan of delight. It was a really good smoothie after all. And there was a certain...feeling of content that smothered Jaune. Spending time with Sauron...wasn't horrible. He wasn't loud, most of the time, or mean, most of the time. And he did help him train to become a Hunter.

'Thank you. For all this Sauron. Means a lot to me.'

Sauron snorted. _'Whatever you say welp. This for my survival afterall. If you die, I lose the prize of our wager. Now drink more.'_

'I could if I would, but were all out.' Jaune thought back, as he held the empty glass to eye view. Sauron grumbled in despair, as he saw only vestiges of their fruity beverage. Sauron conjured an image of a filled glass of pureed strawberries. It looked so tempting. So cold and sweet.

'Nice try. But we should get home. Mom will get worried.' Sauron grumbled with disapproval, but did nothing to stop Jaune. He got up from the couch, his body and Sauron protesting at every movement. Jaune seriously needed to get some pain killers when he got home. He made his way to the exit of the café, but unfortunately a certain event caught his eye.

"Come on babe. Come with the us for a wild night.", a tall, young man said to a small girl with pink and brown hair, with a matching parasol next to her. He was grizzly and from the disturbing smell emanating from him, clearly inebriated by alcohol. Two other men flanked him, leering down at the girl. Jaune eyed a bar, from across the street, and noted how the door was swinging on its hinges. They must have obviously come from their, and unwittingly made their way to the Hub.

The man behind the register, gave them a look of annoyance, and had quickly barked at them to get out. In their drunken haze, however, they were unaffected by his commanding tone. Seeing them unaffected by his harsh command, and instead glaring at him, the cashier's confidence shattered and he dove behind his counter for protection.

All the while the girl just continued to eat her ice cream. Not even batting an eye at them, though she did spare the cowardly cashier a look of disbelief. That seemingly upset the trio of rude and intrusive drunkards.

"Think you are hot shit? Think you're better than us? We'll show you, you bitch.", he hissed as he raised his hand above his head, with the clear intention of swinging it down on the girl. The cashier gave a gasp of disbelief, and he seemingly began to move to do something, before a loud voice stopped them all.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

The lead harasser abruptly turned towards the source of the voice, his drunken eyes narrowing dangerouly. The cashier could only look at him in shock, his head peeking out from behind the counter.

It took both Sauron and Jaune several moments to realize it was Jaune who had shouted. And a cloud of dread came over them. Most of the patrons of the café could only stare at him in disbelief. The cashier, who had wisely hid behind the counter, was shaking and his were eyes peeking out from counter top. His bravado had apparently run out.

'Why did I say that?'

 _'Why did you say that?'_ Sauron parroted as the trio of drunkards turned towards him. The girl herself looked at him, spoon in mouth, with a look of surprise. Hopefully this was worth it.

"What you say One-Eye?" The lead guy barked as he stumbled over towards him. He had a few inches on Jaune, and he seemed to be in good physical shape. Jaune felt fear roll into him, before he _and_ Sauron stomped it out. Apparently Sauron didn't like the title.

 _'Think clearly Jaune. Find a solution that won't lead us into conflict. Choose your words wisely.'_ Despite Sauron really needing to work on his pep talks, the affect was still there and courage filled Jaune.

"I said to leave her alone, you drunken scum.", Jaune said defiantly, looking straight up into the clouded eyes of his harasser. He withheld the reflex to twitch his eye has Sauron began to curse his name.

 _"Are you trying to get us killed?"_ Sauron hissed as the drunkard's two lackeys stumbled next to him. While still under the influence, this confrontation could lead to Jaune being seriously injured, and that meant a lot of pain for the both of them.

'I don't what or why I'm doing this. We just got to get the girl out of here.' Jaune bit back. He eyed the girl from behind the drunken man and gave her a nod of his head. She nodded back and rose from her seat, gripping her parasol. Good, at least she was safe. Now to focus on the current threat.

 _'Damn your morals! We're going into a battle that we could lose with horrible consequences.'_

'Just shut up and help me out will you?'

"And what are you going to do One-Eye?" He questioned and before Jaune could answer wittingly or do anything for that matter, the drunkard swung his left arm. Jaune's eye widened as the fist came closer, not capable of following Sauron's direction of dodging.

Jaune's body was thrown back several inches from the blow, clearly not ready for things to get so violent that quickly. Ignoring the pain in his cheek, Jaune looked up and saw that his attacker was preparing to strike him again. Sauron and Jaune both growled, a mixture of pain, and anger.

 _'Dodge to your right, then attack. Find a weak spot.'_

It was automatic, the both of them unaware of what was happening. Jaune's vision, even impaired with the eyepatch, cleared and he focused on the now noticeably slow swing. His body shifted to the right, and the fist sailed by his face. His senses were on edge and what felt like electricity coursed through him, at the prospect of narrowly avoiding the punch. His heart felt like fire, and it began to beat faster and faster.

Jaune's one eye narrowed and noted of how his attacker had swung too far. He was open for an attack, and his mind, addled by whatever he had drank, wasn't functioning at full capacity.

 _'Now.'_ Sauron urged and Jaune agreed full heartedly. His fist clenched into a fist and he swung with his right arm, despite how sore and tired it was previously. Adrenaline filled him with energy, and his fist sunk deep into the stomach of his attacker. It was firm, not from muscle, but from a full stomach of alcohol and whatever food he had consumed previously. He could feel the air be pushed out from his opponent, as Jaune quickly disengaged, ready to swing again. There was no need for that however.

The drunkard fell to his knees, painful retches and coughs emnanting from him. One final retch, and what was probably his dinner was emptied onto the cafés floor, and the crowd groaned with disgust and horror. Jaune wisely turned away from the scene, the smell alone almost making him gag. From the sound of something solid hitting something liquid, Jaune deduced that the man had fallen into the pool of his own vomit.

He could hear the cashier groan in disgust at such a mess he was probably going to clean.

 _'Be ready, his minions will not take his defeat lightly, be prepared to defend yourself-...'_ Sauron himself stopped in amazement as he and Jaune marveled at the sight in front of them. Jaune could, feel his one eye widen in shock.

The two other harassers laid in a heap on the ground, groaning from pain and whatever punshiment their attacker had in store for them. And on top of them was the pink and brown haired girl, who in one hand twirled her parasol and in the other, held a cone with a scoop of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. She eyed him and gave a smirk, bordering on vicious. A sense of fear filled him.

 _'We may have misjudged this girl. Be wary around her.'_ Sauron warned. She placed her parasol on top of her beaten foes, and rose up elegantly, as if she had gotten up from a throne. Her heels clicked menacingly as she strode forward towards him, making sure to give her ice cream cone a good lick, making shivers go done Jaune's spine.

 _'This feeling is...odd. It isn't fear. It's a form of...excitement?'_

'I don't know. But I'm scared.'

 _'So am I. So am I.'_

The short woman stood before him, and Jaune never realized until now that she had two different colors for her pupils. Brown and pink, which matched her hair. They assessed him, her pupils sharp and analyzing, ghosting over him with a practiced ease. This woman was dangerous, no matter how short she was. Several more seconds passed before she smiled at him and held out her hand to him.

He blinked at it for several moments, before he slowly took it and began shaking it. If it was possible, her smile grew even longer. Well at least he should introduce himself.

 _'Be wary of what you reveal to her. You don't know what faction she serves. She may want to harm you.'_ Sauron warned him as Jaune prepared his greeting.

'Why would she want to hurt me? I just met her.' Jaune asked his mental companion. Weren't most girls supposed to be nice and kind? Perhaps with his exposure to his sisters, his perspective and experience with women was rather limited.

"The names Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. And the lad-" With a grunt, Jaune was flung to the floor, and soon he found himself face down, and with his arm twisted behind his back. A low groan of pain escaped him. This had certainly changed things up.

'Well this turned around really quick.' Jaune voiced as the tension on his arm grew more intense. Dad had lied to him! All he said was that he needed confidence and he would be fine with the girls.

 _'The female members of the mortal races have always been a pain in my side.'_ Sauron grumbled in pain. Jaune recalled him telling of how Galadriel, Lady of Lothlorien had always resisted agaisnt his forces and intentions. He also remembered to mention when the Lady of the Plains, along with a Hobbit, had slain his second in command, the Witch King.

That had been a low blow to all of Mordor, and his defeat could be traced to the Witch King's death.

 _'But I think her intentions have confused you. I think this is a test. Now pass it.'_ Sauron ordered. Jaune wanted to argue, but he trusted his companion's vastly superior experience. Jaune grunted, and with his free hand he began to push himself up from the ground.

With his sudden movement, a basic attempt to free himself, the girl on top of him hopped off, releasing his arm in the process. Jaune stood up, and despite how much his body hurt from the scuffle with her, he prepared to fight her again. His fist and posture fell into a fighting form that he had often seen on movies he watched on his scroll.

She looked at him, with what Jaune assumed, to be sincere surprise. Then that vicious smirk replaced again. She nodded at him before she pointed with her hand towards her still neatly formed ice cream cone.

Jaune gave her a look as she pointed towards the vanilla scoop in the middle of her ice cream cone. She looked at him expectantly, as Jaune began to decipher what she was trying to say. Wouldn't it have been better for her to actually talk to him?

 _'Look at her neck carefully, I do believe she is incapable of speech.'_ Sauron suggested. Jaune narrowed his eye, and found indeed there was an edge of a scar on the bottom of her neck, just peeking out, almost covered by her clothing. The scarred skin was incredibly pale, compared to her fair skin.

"Can you talk?" Jaune asked, rather bluntly. The girl actually stepped back in surprise, before she nodded in what seemed in disbelief.

"Are you trying to tell me your name?"

She nodded, and she redoubled her efforts in pointing at her ice cream cone. Jaune made sure to scrutinize the exact flavor she was pointing to.

"Vanilla?'

She shook her head.

"Chocolate?"

She looked at him with disgust, and she shook her head again. Jaune had to agree. Having a name like Chocolate would be torturous for someone.

"Strawberry?"

Once again she shook her head and, and she let off a sigh of great frustration. With a n energetic display with her hand she began to reference all the flavors on her ice cream cone.

 _'I do believe she is trying to express for you to combine the flavors together. But I do not believe I've heard a name like Vanillachocolatestrawberry.'_ Sauron voiced, and with his rather poor attempt to help Jaune figure out her name, it did make a light bulb go off in his head.

"Is it Neopolitan?" This time his answer was met with an eager nod, but before either of them could do anything a voice cut them off.

"She prefers Neo, but kudos to you Kid. You earned yourself a pat on the back.", the voice was smooth, sharp, and held a practiced ease to it. Loud, ominous foot steps sounded behind him, and Jaune turned his head to find the source of the voice.

 _'This mortal at least knows how to dress properly. You could take a few lessons from him.'_ Sauron muttered in his mind, and Jaune internally scowled.

'What's wrong with what I wear?' Jaune asked. What did Sauron know about fashion? Hadn't he spent most of his existence as a giant flaming eye?

 _'It is hardly suitable for a warrior. You need metal armor, sturdy yet able to be moved in. We will talk later of what would be needed if we are to succeed in our primary objective.'_

A man, sharply dressed in a white suit, black pants, and a rather stylish bowler hat. He walked over to them with easy steps, a prominent, silver cane in one hand and Neo's parasol in the other. He wore an easy smirk on his face, and the way he moved sent shivers of fear through Jaune.

 _'This man is very dangerous. Be on guard.'_ Sauron warned him. Jaune full heartedly agreed. This man walked like a hunter, and a strong one if evident by his confidence and his easiness around him. But Jaune did admit, the man knew how to dress.

"Nice to meet you Kiddo. Saw how you helped out my partner from those drunken neandrathals. Thought I'd thank you personally.", He said, and quick as a flash threw Neo's parasol back at her. She didn't even flinch as she caught it with one hand. The man turned back to Jaune and held out his hand to him regally. It was obvious he wanted Jaune to shake it, but after his experience with Neo the prospect of shaking hands made him weary.

 _'Good to see you that you're learning. But I do believe a man as sharply dressed as him wouldn't intend to hurt you.'_ Sauron reasoned. Jaune hesitantly stuck his hand out, and to his great surprise and joy he did not receive pain for shaking his hand.

"What's your name kid?" The bowler hat wearer asked, as he retracted his hand. He gave Jaune a glance over with his green eyes, yet they seem to rest on his eye patch. Jaune had nearly forgotten he still had it on.

"Jaune. Jaune Arc."

The man raised an eyebrow at that, but did not pursue with another question. Instead he deftly took off his hat and with a bow he introduced himself.

"Roman Torchwick at your service.", he introduced himself. The man was eccentric and flamboyant, but he had made a lasting impression on Sauron and Jaune.

"So may I ask, my dear Arc, what are you doing out on such a day?" Roman asked as he sat himself in a nearby chair from the outside booths that the Hub offered. He placated his hand in a gesture as he offered Jaune the seat, which he took. Neo took the last seat, and she allowed herself to not interfere in the conversation.

 _'Careful of what you reveal. Subtly will do us good.'_ Sauron warned him.

"Oh I was just training to be a Hunter, and I stopped by the Dojo to train.", Jaune explained. He almost winced from the storm of outrage bellowing from Sauron.

 _'Why did Eru put me with the most disappointing mortal that he could?'_

'Why did he have to put me with the most stuck up and arrogant being in existence!?'

"Didn't know they had Hunters out here in Canvas teaching kids.", Roman said as he glanced over to Neo, who shook her head at him, both unaware of the mental war going on in Jaune's head.

"Nah, it's just me practicing some sword forms.", Jaune answered. He wouldn't exactly call Sauron a 'person'. He'd just say he was above them or something.

 _'You are right. I am a Maiar, greatest of Eru's creation. I am indeed above you foolish mortal.'_ Sauron bit back, and Jaune assumed he must have slowly began to lose his mind as he wasn't even perturbed by the thought that Sauron had once agin read his mind. But Sauron's constant insults and boast were gratting on him.

'I don't see you with the body now do I? And if your so mighty how'd you lose to begin with?' Jaune angrily spoke back.

 _'Insufferable brat. How dare you! I've met and killed men greater then you can ever be! Such disrespect for a being far more glorious than you! My VERY existence denotes that I am superior!'_ Sauron roared in anger, and Jaune's mind was soon filed with hellfire. The sudden pain, the sudden hurt, and with the sudden realization that they were being watched, Jaune automatically began to cough to cover up his rather odd behavior.

"You alright kid?" Roman asked as Jaune fought to keep his pain from showing. Neo herself showed her surprise with a rather expressive face.

"Yeah just my throat started acting up.", Jaune lied as the pain embed away, seemingly the tantrum Sauron had thrown had died down. The burning resentment was still there, like a hot brand against his head. The storm of anger was still there, destroying itself and its surroundings with its very existence.

"Well I was going to offer you to train you myself. A reward for helping out Neo. What you say?" Roman asked, a kind smile on his face. Jaune blinked in surprise before he enthusiacially agreed to it.

"Really? Thanks! When and where?" He asked excitedly, and even Sauron growled in approval, though he did not voice it.

"Just at that Dojo place. And why not ten? I'll teach you a thing or two." Roman asked as he stood up, Neo in tow. Jaune stood up along with them, even for the sake of not being the odd man out.

"It's best we head off before it gets too late. I'll see you at the Dojo at ten sharp, kid. Only neadrathals arrive late, and I'd like to think you're a more civilized person of a more civilized age." The well dressed man said as he and Neo began to walk away, Neo giving him a friendly hand wave to express her farewell.

Jaune's eyes widened as out of the Hub's main door, stumbled the same drunkard who Jaune had knocked the dinner out of. He obviously was still inebriated, because as soon as he saw Neo, he moved to intercept her. He was still wobbly, and he was still clutching his stomach on the are where Jaune had punched him, but despite that he still thought moved to confront her.

Roman didn't even spare him a glance as his cane shot, a spinning wheel of shining silver, before it landed quite harshly on the man's crotch. The drunkard keeled over immediately, his form curling into itself subconsciously. The cane soon found itself by Roman's side, as if it hadn't been used as a weapon moments before.

"Philistine.", Roman snorted as he and Neo walked by, not sparing the man a look. Jaune himself gave the drunkard a look of sympathy before he started his way home. The man only groaned in pain.

 **X.**

"Interesting friend you made Neo.", Roman teased his partner. She only gave him an angry pout before she childishly turned her head. Despite being a trained assassin, she could be such a child about certain things. Like ice cream or boys.

"I'm not saying I don't approve. It's a refreshing thought that there are still glimmers of chivalry in our crumbling world.", he answered truthfully. Even if Neo could have killed all three of those drunken animals within swing of her parasol, it was still nice to find someone willing to help. And Roman wouldn't be lying if the boy didn't interest him.

Neo gave him a stare before she huffed and moved ahead of him. He smirked at that. Sometimes she was too easy to tease. Her little crush on her savior was almost too good to be true. Only a heartless woman wouldn't have some postive feelings for a man who stood up for them and their honor.

Jaune Arc was an unintentional mystery. Of course Roman had heard about the infamous defenders of the frontier, all members of the family powerful Hunters or rising to become Hunters. To start trouble in this town, meant dealing with the whole family, and Roman was no fool. Even he could not take on an entire family of Hunters. Well cleanly that is.

Then there comes Jaune Arc, the one Arc that he had never heard of. The boy was clearly apart of the family, evidence being of his blonde hair, and one blue eye. The other was covered by an eyepatch, but the boy seemed unaffected by his loss of vision. It was like he could see through it.

Quite the enigma indeed, and part of his interest in the boy was due to how little he knew of him. The other part was due to entertainment. It had been a while since Roman had done something for his desires. His...employer had seen to him having very little time to himself.

Being sent to Canvas was a godsend on its own. The town was clean, nice, and had all the amenities a man of his stature could hope for. Not to mention one of his businesses lay nearby, willing to give him any nessecary nesseceties and information that he needed for his line of work. It was definitely up there in the places he had been sent to for missions, and Neo was flourishing among all the sweet shops. For Roman he was just glad for air conditioning. Not to mention one of his fine establishments had been posted here, even if the cashier was a coward. Sully would learn.

But speaking of employers.

"You're late." A hooded figure remarked as he and Neo neared an alleyway. The figure was short, not as short as Neo bless her, but Roman still had a couple of inches on her. Not that height mattered in an actual fight. But even with the hood obscuring her face, Roman eyed several laces of green hair peeking out. So the boss had sent thenthief to give him his next mission? The irony wasn't lost on him.

"Here. This scroll attachment contains your mission debriefing, objectives, and reward for completion. She expects it to be completed within a week. We will be in touch.", and with a crack of light she disappeared from view. Damn illusions.

Roman gave a snort before he pulled out his scroll and attached the accessory to it. Immediately a form was pulled up and within its words was his mission. Neo peeked over and her face turned into grimace. Roman himself couldn't hide the distaste from such a mission.

"Damn Necromancer."

 **X.**

Sauron was oddly quiet as Jaune progressed through the rest of his day. He was silent when he walked home. He was silent as Jaune took a short nap. He was silent even when dinner came around. Well as silent as he could be as Sauron and Jaune enjoyed the taste of soft, succulent pork flank, a salad of fresh, crisp greens, a bed of pearly white grains, and an entire loaf of freshly baked bread. An occasional groan of pleasure came out his still angry mental companion as they fell upon the hot food, but was quickly followed by a growl of frustration.

 _'Damn you mortals and your increasingly good food. Damn Eru for making me feel taste.'_ Sauron growled in anger and hummed with delight as Jaune sunk his teeth into a particularly succulent piece of pork. Jaune greedily chewed the piece, like that of a Beowolf, before he eagerly tore a warm piece of bread apart.

'Talking now huh?' Jaune mumbled to Sauron as he spooned a heaping of salad into his mouth.

 _'Yes I decided I would be the mature of the two of us and actually face the problem.'_ Sauron responded, although there was a certain distaste for the salad. Jaune agreed. He was never one for greens.

'And what is exactly the problem?'

 _'Don't play dumb. There is a distinct...difference between you and I and I wish sort it out.'_ Sauron explained as Jaune finished the rest of his meal. He unconsciously rose from his seat, years of living under the Arc roof training him to grab his plate and put it in the sink.

'And what exactly are you going to sort out?' Jaune asked. He quickly climbed the stairs, completely oblivious of the stares that his family was giving him. His room would be the best place for this discussion.

 _'I will not beat around the figurative bush. I find you insufferably weak, naive, and possess no form of confidence in ones self. What I found most disturbing is that you have more confidence in me rather than yourself.'_ Sauron critiqued and Jaune felt himself deflate at the undeniably true statement. But he wasn't going to take it lying down. Unknowingly, Jaune had changed within the twenty four hours he had spent with Sauron. All of it for the better.

'I don't know why he put me with a failure of a Dark Lord. Who, despite losing his body a millennium ago, is a braggart over nothing.' Jaune bit back, and he could feel Sauron recoil. It wasn't anger but...acceptance?

 _'You're right, I did lose. But I still have accomplishments to my name. Unlike you.'_ And before Jaune could answer back, he spoke again.

 _'Eru must have not thought this through. What could an untrained, weak, boy hope to against the darkness that blights the kingdom? You obviously couldn't beat this darkness on sheer will power alone. And I don't see you with a weapon.'_ Sauron said, and Jaune felt anger return to him.

'You're no better! At least I have a body! At least I haven't lost twice against the so called "inferior" mortals.' Jaune angrily thought back. He could feel Sauron reel back, but the anger this time did not come forth. Instead a foreign feeling was communicated towards Jaune, and he wasn't quite sure what it truly was.

 _'And what do you suggest we do then? What can us weaklings hope to do against this world? I already failed twice, and you don't have the nessecary skills to survive in this world.'_

'There's only one option for us then. We work together.' Jaune reasoned. He had already given this option a chance just yesterday, and seemingly Sauron had responded by make Jaune participate in a wager that involved his soul.

 _'And why should I work with you? You're excruciatingly weak.'_ Sauron reasoned. That was also the same explanation that he had given the previous night, but Jaune pursued his reasoning with abandon.

'Yeah we already have gone over this, but look what we did today! We beat that drunk guy and we managed to get me a teacher! And we did it together!' Jaune exclaimed with internal excitement. 'And I couldn't have done without you.'

Sauron remained silent, before he spoke up again. _'Are you saying you rather have that Roman fellow train you rather than me?'_

Jaune blinked before he quickly responded. 'Are you jealous?'

He felt Sauron sputtered or as close to sputtering a Maiar could do. Unknown feelings flooded his head, and Jaune had no intention to go through all the work to identify them.

 _'And why, fool, would I be jealous of a weakling like you being trained by someone else?'_ Sauron grumbled. He would never admit to Jaune how hurt he was when he favored the well dressed Roman over the training the Maiar had given. The hurt was obviously from watching such idiocy play out.

'Whatever, but the point still stands, we work better together rather than against each other.'

Sauron remained silent as he pondered Jaune's reasoning. Jaune himself waited on a baited breath. This could change the relationship between the two of them for the duration of their bonded souls. Hopefully Sauron could see reason.

 _'Are you trying to get out of the wager for our soul?'_ Damn the Maiar and his greed.

'Why do you want our soul so bad? You already own it. You just have to share with me.' Honestly Jaune couldn't see the point. Living with seven sisters had given him a unique persecptive on ownership. Too bad Sauron didn't share the same sentiment as Jaune.

 _'Allow me to explain it slowly. I. Want. It. For. Myself. Please tell me that your mortal mind can comprehend such words. How am I suppose to rule Arda with a mortal body?'_

'Good thing I have an answer. You won't. I won't let you conquer my world.' Jaune defended.

 _'So it would seem. So it would seem. It matters not. Soon I will win the wager, and you'll finally see the world for what the ugly, horrible place it is.'_

'And I'll show you that our world is fine the way it is. You don't need to change it. Just some of the people.'

Jaune felt Sauron freeze. It was if the usual fiery presence of his Maiar companion in his left eye, which at this point had become a comforting presence, diminish. As if someone had taken away his fuel.

 _'Say that again.'_

'Pardon?'

 _'Say what you said about people. Say it again!'_ Sauron roared but not in anger. In need. He needed to hear those words from Jaune. His very way of thinking was being challenged and he needed the proof to settle it.

'The world isn't what needs to be changed. Its perfect the way it is. It isn't ugly. It is imperfect. But so are people. If you want find to find something to change, change the people. They're always looking around for something that's different from them. They have to prove that they're better. In fact an entire war was done because of that. Just because they were different. And I mean it's stupid! Who cares if they have something different about them! We're all the same. We're all equal.' Jaune explained, and he could only feel proud from declaring his ideal for the world.

His moment of pride only lasted for a moment, before Sauron began laughing at him. His confidence shattered and he deflated. Being laughed at was something that would always break Jaune.

 _'You are far more naive then when I first imagined. And what happens when you find someone who's ideal challenges your own?'_ Sauron questioned, and this time Jaune froze. This time his outlook on the world was being tested.

 _'If they're half as stubborn as you, they will fight tooth and nail in what they believe in. And knowing others, their ideals, their conviction is far stronger than yours. In this world, ideals only get you as far as strength. When they're as strong as their ideals, then of course they're going to think they are superior to you. And they are. This world is balanced by strength and strength alone. The superior ones will stomp and eat the inferior ones. It was like that in my age, and will last through your age.'_ Sauron explained.

Jaune shuddered and fought back with every ounce of his being. It wasn't fair. What if someone wasn't strong enough to stand on their own! Each person had the right to fight in what they believed in! Everyone deserved to live in a fair world.

 _'I agree. But the world **isn't** fair. But it wouldn't be fair if it was fair to everyone. No I see the error of my ways now. Even if I made everyone equal, even if I made this world perfect, it would always be imperfect. All my attempts of perfecting the world have been always fruitless. Quite the disappointing revelation.'_

They both sat in relative silence as they allowed for their morale to recover. Within a span of ten minutes, both the ideals, both the visions of an ages old Maiar and a young, hopeful man. Sauron's age old perspective of the world, which saw it as an ugly, wasteful, place had already been challenged within the day. He had already developed a positivity with the world, despite his previous hatred to it. Jaune had done an effective job of showing him the good of the world.

Jaune himself, felt his own drive crumble. What could his actually dream do to change the world? For someone as powerful, old, and as wise as Sauron to laugh at his own ideal had utterly crushed Jaune. He must have known much more of the world and what it had to offer, then Jaune could ever hope of knowing.

But both were stubborn. Unnaturally so. Driven and loyal to their cause. They would not bend so easily.

Just as Eru had planned.

 _'This world will need to be changed.'_

'For the better. A world where ideals and strength can always be found. Where people cannot be crushed so easily. '

 _'Perhaps when we complete our task, we can change the world the way we see fit.'_

'But not alone. We're weak alone.' Jaune hinted. And this time he felt no anger from Sauron. Just grim understanding.

'Together?' Jaune held his breath at the proposition. If Sauron rejected the notion now, he didn't know a better oppurtunity to bring it up again.

 _'Together.'_ Agreed Sauron.

This was by no means a covenant, pact, agreement, or contract. No this was a simple agreement. An agreement that held great promise for the future between the two.

 **X.**

Beneath the still conversing Jaune and Sauron, another massively important conversation was taking place. This time between the Arc family. It was a stalwart argument between the children of Matthias and Savannah Arc, and Ignis and Savannah themselves. Each side held an equally strong view and argument and both sides were not giving.

"Give him a chance! He's always dreamed of being a hunter!" Diamond shouted at her parents who held their ground against their eldest.

"And that's all he's been! A dreamer! He won't last a day out in the real world!" Matthias argued back, the elder Arc's voice tense, and his posture powerful. Already the youngest of the Arc sisters were backing down from the intimidating presence of their father, but he needed to be firm here. Jaune wasn't ready for such things yet.

"Because you didn't find the time to train him. He's most likely feeling inferior to the rest of us for not being able to participate in combat.", Beatrice added, her voice neutral but her stance against her parent's decision firm. She would still aid the side of her little brother.

"He chose to train by himself. There was nothing we can do for him.", Their mother pleaded. How could they be so stubborn? They were only only trying to protect Jaune! They didn't care if he became a hunter or a farmer! They would always be proud of their son!

"He's too stubborn for that! You know that! He learned how to cook all by himself!" Violet protested.

"He also learned how to make dust cartitridges!" Petal joined her twin in protesting. It had taken him months to create a working dust cartridge and he had done it just because the twins couldn't afford actual bullets for their weapons. If he put that much effort into becoming a Hunter, he would be one of the greatest of their time. Given enough time of course.

"Jaune can not and will not become a hunter. He has no training and no means of defending himself.", Matthias explained loudly, and with that single proclamation the argument ended in the favor of their parents. The sisters, cowed but defiant left the dining room grumbling amongst themselves, leaving the parents to brew on the sudden development of their son.

"I can't believe this! He has no training or weapon because they didn't give him any!" Hissed Violet. Petal also grumbled, but said nothing more as they climbed the stairs to the upper floor.

"I mean let's check on him right now. We can prove that he wants to be a Hunter." Diamond quietly proclaimed as they neared their brother's room. Lapis and Luli, experts at opening doors without making noise, worked their magic and the door swung open without Jaune noticing as he stared at the his computer screen.

Admitingly Diamond suspected Jaune to be looking at some rather... embarrassing subject matter, but to her relief he was looking at a selection of weapons. His eyes scanned each row of the screen, all of which were filled with a selections of weapons.

"Damn, he must be really serious about this.", Violet whispered as an image of a great hammer popped up on Jaune's screen. It was a simple thing, but in the corner of the image she could see a price tag. It was as ludicrous as she expected it to be and she saw Jane release a sigh of frustration before he angrily turned off the screen and whipped around to face the now empty door way.

The Arc sisters had never been quicker in their lives. They hugged the walls next to the door, still as can be as their brother closed it and turned off the lights to his room. He seemingly had been sleeping more lately.

Then they needed to take it into their own hands.

"There's only one place where we can find a weapon worthy of Jaune." Beatrice said, and the Arc sisters turned to her in shock. They all knew what she was talking about. The Arc Vault. The mausoleum of the great Arc warriors of old. The vanguard and leaders of the old world.

All that remained of them now were their weapons, who held just as much if not more legends and myths than their legendary masters. Such as Nigrum Mors, a sword with a warped blade that caused even more bleeding, that had been dyed black permanently by the blood of Grimm.

Or perhaps Tacet Mors, a sword spear, made by a rare, silver metal that made it extremely light despite its size. It's name however was derived by its old master, an Arc that had vowed an eternity of silence to compensate for all the lives it had taken.

The arsenal at their disposal was immense, but the vault's defense system was legendary. It had stopped many a robber from stealing the valuable weapons within. It had done such a good job at stopping robbers that the Vault had fell into obscurity and no one outside the Arc family remembered the Vault.

But for their brother, the four eldest sisters of the Arcs were willing to do anything. Even break into their own vault.

 **X.**

Had the Arc sisters been there in their brothers room earlier thy would have realized why their brother was looking up weapons. They would have had an even better understanding of their brother's actions for the night.

 _'Who ever desgined that weapon is absolutely mad.'_ Sauron said as he and Jaune browsed through pages and pages of weapons on the internet. Currently they had found themselves staring at an extrmely complicated weapon that resembled a war hammer. It was excruciatingly complicated, and from what Jaune had read from the description of the weapon, it could turn into a mobile artillery cannon, capable of blasting a Goliath to smithereens with a single blast.

It only gave Jaune more of a headache when Sauron had questioned what a cannon was and that in turned into an entirely infuriating conversation all about the current technology, and with as much explaining in layman terms as Jaune could had managed to get through the entire technological talk with Sauron with out going insane. Mostly.

 _'To even make a war hammer like that, even attempt to change its form even slightly would require extremely complicated mechanisms, including having parts capapble of with handling such stress, and repeadtedly as well. Not to mention to find the ammunition for such a crude machine. Such a weapon is hilariously complocated and unnessecary. You should stick with a simplistic weapon. One that does not require intensive reasearch and resources to maintain._

Sauron suggested, and Jaune whole heartedly agreed. He was obviously wasnt strong enough to even lift such a beast of a weapon. A sword and shield would be his best bet. Too bad nothing was for sale. He let loose a growl of frustrations as he closed the computer down and turned to go to bed.

Weirdly his bedroom door was open, but he didn't question it. He was too tired for it.

 _'As am I.'_ Sauron agreed as Jaune laid down on the bed, enjoying its comfort. Jaune would always cherish his bed and the way it would always welcome him with open arms, especially after today's training with Sauron.

 _'You mortals know how to treat yourselves. I never knew that spending hours upon hours of doing nothing productive could be so enjoyable.'_ Sauorn commented as Jaune snuggled deeper into the covers. It was a really nice bed.

' _But we still need a weapon if we're going to accomplish anything.'_ Sauron reminded Jaune, who let out a groan of frustration. It would take weeks of searching on the web to find a suitable weapon which would suit himself and he would be able to afford. Not to mention for it to be delivered to Canvas could take months at worst.

'Maybe we can make our own weapon.' Jaune suggested half heartedly. It wasn't a ludicrous idea, plenty of hunters hadn't made and conceived their own weapons. Why couldn't he?

 _'I suppose you could, but that would require a forge full of the nessecary equipment, the tools to forge the weapon, and the materials to produce such a thing. I believe it would be easier, and more affordable for us.'_ Sauron answered. _'It would be easier for us to attain an already forged weapon.'_

'It isnt like a weapon is going to appear in front of us in the middle of the night.' Jaune joked as his body relaxed further into the bed. He never noticed how comfortable it was until now.

 _'You're right. First of all they wouldn't get past me. Second of all, the thought of someone giving us a weapon in the middle of the night is absolutely ludicrous.'_

'But hypothetically if they did get us a weapon, what should it be?' Jaune asked. Sometimes it was fun to dream about stuff. Even if the notion of it being true was completely delusional. Like the thought of an incredibly strong, female, spartan falling in love with a weakling like him. Absolutely ludicrous.

 _'Well, if you wish to dream of such a thing happening, I suppose the best possible weapon would be a sword and shield. You're obviously too weak to lift anything larger than that. And obviously those weapons have survived through the ages for a reason. Because they work.'_ Sauron answered, and Jaune agreed full heartedly. He was indeed not strong enough to lift anything larger than a broadsword or a shield. Not to mention he loved the heroic look that the classic weapons gave him.

'Sauron. You were a blacksmith right?' Jaune asked. He could vaguely remember the some amount of history that Sauron had imparted on him the previous night, but for such a huge history of multiple previous ages, he could only remember the most important facts. Not to mention that Sauron had tried to convolute it to hide who he truly was.

Thank what ever deity was up there that his mother had taught him about story telling and how he had seen through the holes in Sauron's tales.

 _'Indeed I was. And I do say that I was the greatest of the Maiar blacksmiths. To be truthful I was the greatest Maiar in general.'_ Sauron boasted again. It wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't repeat the same title over and over again.

'You are the only Maiar alive right now. You don't have a lot of competition.' Jaune teased. It felt good to actually get an insult sent back to his soul companion.

Too bad Sauron was a master of words.

 _'Indeed I am the last remaining Maiar, because I was the greatest. The rest of faded out of existence while I have remained strong.'_

'Except you're stuck in my body.'

 _'Shut up, fool.'_ Sauron snarked, but he remained silent after a moment. Victory went to Jaune for now.

A comfortable silence hung over them for a while, all the which the both of them marveled over how comfortable the bed was. It truly made resting quite a pleasure.

 _'I must ask for us to actually the observe the stars, for at least one night. Allowing me to observe them would give me a better understanding on how old your world truly is. The full moon would also prove to be a vital component.'_

'You do know that the moon is shattered right? It's impossible for it to be truly full.' Jaune could feel the shock reverberate from Sauron. It made his body shake a little, but the shock was enough to make Jaune open his eyes.

Surprisingly it was almost dawn, the tell tale signs coming from the peaks of red, orange, and yellow coming from the east. The shattered moon was still there though, just observable. It's image peaceful but ugly at the same time. The broken paleness hung in the sky, shards and pieces of it hanignr around the main body.

Sauron himself remained silent, grieving, and not understanding how such a thing had happened to one of Eru's greatest creations. The moon itself looked siphoned, as if someone had taken a piece for it themselves.

 _'Impossible. How long has the moon been like this?'_ Sauron questioned. For someone to have broken the moon like that, must have been incredibly dangerous.

And powerful.

'Nobody knows how long it's been like that. It just has been like that. The broken moon has been there as long as Remnant has.' Jaune answered, and he could feel Sauron stir uncomfortably within. 'Nobody knows how it turned out like that, s been there for as long has we can remember.'

There was a moment of silence before Sauron responded.

 _'The thought of the moon being broken is quite worrying. Someone incredibly powerful must have done that to the moon. It was one of Eru's most prideful creations.'_ Sauron said in their head. _'No matter. The morning sun has come. I do believe we should get more breakfast.'_

Food and Sauron, Jaune found, were almost inseperable. If there was one thing Sauron would want to do for the rest of his lifetime, it would be most likely eatting. Too bad Jaune couldn't afford to gain weight or waste his time on it.

And too bad Jaune coud be extremely unobservant of his surroundings. So when his foot got caught something quite unfamiliar it caught them completely off guard. It came to his and Sauron's great surprise when they found themselves on the ground, a sudden ache permeating throughout their entire body. With a groan Jaune turned his head, and with his vision, for some reason sharper than he was used to, he eyed the sheathed sword that laid propped up, against this bed. So that's what had tripped him up. Good to know.

It took precisely 2.8 seconds for Jaune to realize that there was a sword propped against his bed. And the first thing he did was probably not what you would expect.

'What was it that you were saying earlier?' Jaune gloated to a fuming Sauron.

 _'Your world is absolutely ludicrous. There is an extremely powerful magic that covers this world, making it a land of contradiction.'_ Sauron defened himself, as they acknowledged the sheathed blade propped against the bed.

The sword was around three and a half feet in length, and judging by how dusty and dirty the blue bindings on the hilt were. The crossguard and pommel themselves, at one point must have been a shiny gold, but now its brilliance had faded, now a ungleaming metal. The blade itself had no shine, with its dusty coat, but it was still extrmely sharp, despite its current condition.

 _'An excellent, blade. Incredible craftmanship. Although the metal itself...is odd. I will tell you it is not steel, or mithril. What an odd blade indeed. Do you know its name?_ Sauron said, as cogs began to turn and operate Jaune's memory.

'No way.' Jaune thought with excitment and a bit of worry. There was no way someone had actually infiltrated the Arc's weapon vault to give him one of the legendary weapons of house Arc. His parents must have snucked into his room and given him the mystical Crocea Mors. They believed in him!

His fingers grazed over the scabbard, and they found a unusual button near the top. With a quick push, once incredibly advanced but now ancient mechanisms whirred to life and the sheathe expanded into a large heater shield. The Arc's insignia, the two golden crescent moons gleaming on the white shield. Sauron himself was loudly pondering on how such a feat of mechanical engineering.

 _'What skill indeed. Such a complicated shield, not to mention very sturdy. Quite practical. I will have to study it later.'_

Jaune pushed the button again, and the shield reverted back to its original form. He sheathed the blade, and with an excited daze mimicing that of a young child, quickly got dressed for the day. However, not before he took a few seconds to marvel the fact that someone had actually given him a weapon. He would have to thank his parents and sisters for it.

Though as he passed by the mirror, he found something rather unbelievable. He peered closer into the reflective material, and took notice of his eye.

 _'It seems the mortal flesh around your eye has healed. And the fact is I am not entirely there where your left eye is.'_ Sauron noted as two gleaming eyes of sapphire stared right back at Jaune. They were like crystallized fire, stalwart, yet flowing with an almost invisible blaze.

If Jaune didn't know any better, it was if their two different eyes had combined together, to make a new, more spectacular eye color. Sauron's inhuman fire, with his hard dull blue eyes, together made such a dazzling display.

 _'It seems that Eru has awarded us for our willing to work together, by giving us better sight.'_

Jaune agreed. His eyesight had improved greatly, and it no longer felt as if someone was controlling something different in his left eye. It was quite the change, but one Jaune didn't mind too much. And judging by the fact that Sauron wasn't compliant of having two eyes to see through now, he didn't mind either.

 **X.**

"So you didn't think that we wouldn't notice it when you girls broke into the family vault? Nor how you stole the Crocea Mors and gave it to your brother?" Matthias Arc questioned his four eldest daughters. His wife stood behind them, and he would bet that if he wasn't standing there , she would go and thrash his already beat up daughters. It seemed that the vault's defenses had worked to an extent.

Diamond, Beatrice, Violet, and Petal at least had the curtesy to somewhat look ashamed, even though it was more about being caught at the last stage of their step and not about the fact that they had broken into the family vault. If there was one thing that they picked up from their family, it was the Arc pride.

"But what I don't understand about this whole thing is why choose Crocea Mors of all things? Why not Nigrum Mors? Or Tacet Mors? Or even Unguis Mors?" Even if the Crocea Mors was a legendary weapon from the war, there were far more...impressive weapons in the vault's arsenal. Why choose such a mundane weapon?

Three of the girls rounded on Violet, who only wilted further. There was an unspoken story here that Matthias easily picked up. Violet was by no means a thief, but she was rather skilled with the art of repossessioning. She seemed to have been chosen to get a weapon for their brother, while the rest held off the defenses.

Unfortunately it seems like she had picked it up by accident in her haste.

"Well you've proven your point. We'll allow him to go.", Savannah said. It wasn't like they could ever stop the sisters and Jaune from fufilling their dreams. Knowing Jaune he would have probably infiltrated a Hunter's school using any means possible. But there was another reason for their sudden descision about Jaune's fate.

The sound of a pair of excited feet coming down the stairs sounded loudly as Jaune bounded down the stairs. He was already dressed for the day, and proudly attached to his hip was Crocea Mors. There was such a boyish excitment to his face that it made Savannah's heart melt seeing her son so excited and happy about being gifted that weapon. It had crushed her heart to see him wearing that eyepatch, but she she saw that he no longer needed it as the bruised flesh around his eye had healed spectacularly. Her son had such beautiful eyes, so he deserved to be able to show it off more.

She must have never seen it before but both of his eyes were so vibrant and colorful. Had her son always had such strong eyes? They were even more beautiful than she had remembered. And seeing him be gifted with such a weapon only made them lighter with joy.

Yes, it was a gift to him. Had they desired to actually stop the sisters from breaking into the vault, then it would have ended in a matter of seconds. No, they allowed their daughters to do what they wished. It certainly made their job much easier.

He didn't even say any initial words towards them. Instead he hugged them all generously. Savannah found herself in her son's arms, and to her amazement, found that they were remarkably solid. It seemed like that Jaune's machinations had begun long before this incident. He hugged his father as well, and Savannah found that if Jaune grew for a few more years, he would be taller than Matthias.

"Thank you Mom and Dad. Thank you for believing in me. I won't dissapoint you.", he said with a youthful energy in him. If he always kept that happy energy with him, Savannah knew her son would be going places. And no matter what they would always be proud of him, no matter what he thought of himself.

Their daughters could only sputter in disbelief and hurt as Jaune showered their parents with hugs and praise, when in reality they had done all the work to get him Crocea Mors. Her son could be so oblivious sometimes.

Not that she was saying that was a bad thing. After all it did keep the girls off of him. Not that she or his sisters would allow them to have him. She had to fight off the urge to close her fist at the thought.

"Your Father and I will always support you. No matter what you do. Now go to the Dojo and get used to it. When you get back your Father and I will train you.", she said as she and Matthias walked to the kitchen to cook breakfast.

That didn't stop her from rounding a corner to hide her from her children's view. Already she could hear Jaune thank each single one of his sisters who had participated in the theft. He was personally addressing all their bruises, despite their insistence that they were fine.

So he had serenaded them, then when they left had turned to the true reason of Crocea Mors being in his possession. Smart. If he kept such deviousness with him along with his smarts, he would make it very far indeed.

 **X.**

Perhaps the rush to get into Canvas had roused Jaune's and Sauron's hunger, so at 8:30 in the morning Jaune found himself at the Hub eating a hearty breakfast. He attacked a pile of hashbrowns with gutso, while Sauron began singing praises over the humble potato.

 _'Had I known that these potatoes were so delicious I would have had my Orcs start farming them.'_ Sauron said as another spoonful of the delicious fried potato was hungrily devoured by Jaune, a side of scrambled eggs also inshambles of its former self, nearby.

It was a nice breakfast, and hopefully it would keep him going for the rest of the day. Especially through Roman's training. With no knowledge of the man and what he was going to going to put him through, Jaune wanted to be the most prepared he could be.

And if that included having an extremely delicious breakfast than by all means.

Though he could have done with out the disturbance that came barreling through the Hub. Jaune peered over from his plate of breakfast to find the same drunkard, who Jaune and Roman beat up from the day before burst through the door, followed by his lackeys. The man himself walked with a very noticeable limp, as if he was trying not to disturb his family jewels, while his followers were covered in welts and bruises, courtesy of Neo.

They were very noticeably angry. And they were focused on him.

Slowly, and in Jaune's opinion rather comically, the three previously drunk men made their way to him. It was quite obvious that they held a lot of aggression towards him. Their leader slammed his hand down right next to Jaune's hash browns and proceeded to close the distance between the two of them.

"You got a lot of nerve showing your face here, boy.", he snarled, a bit of spit making its way on Jaune's face.

 _'Uncivilized brute. Deal with uncouth brigand at once.'_ Sauron snarled as Jaune rubbed the disgusting material from his face. Jaune himself was quite confused by this man's action, and he made sure to voice it.

"Weren't you the one who threw up on their floor and passed out?" Jaune questioned. This seemingly made the man even angrier as he even drew back his fist, before a voice came through stopping him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, good sir. He is clearly armed." Roman pointed out, looking imacculate in his white suit and black, bowler hat. The man, who had turned to face Roman, now turned back to Jaune and his eyes widened as he gazed on the sheathed sword that hung off Jaune's side.

The three men, now trapped by the cane wielding Roman, who had proven to be quite precise with it, and an armed Jaune Arc, who had knocked out their drunken leader the night before and left him in a puddle of his own vomit. Not to mention that two of them were still quite sore from the beating the short, multicolored haired girl from the night before had given them.

Instincts made to keep them healthy and to survive made them retreat from such a predicament, leaving a confused Jaune and an amused Roman in the still busy café. He moved to sit down next to Jaune, but not before he called out to the still hiding cashier.

"One espresso please my good sir! And Sully make it quick!" He said jubilantly as he sat next to Jaune. The cashier could only peek his head out and nod slowly before he disappeared before he hid behind the counter again. The sounds of a coffee machine started filling the Hub, along with the cashier's frantic crawling to please Roman.

"It seems you're more of a gentleman then I thought Jaune. Only a true civilized man would eat at such a fine establishment as this." Roman complimented. Jaune chewed on another spoonful of hashbrowns, Sauron suggesting new courses of action in order to have a benefical conversation with Roman.

"And how do you know that?" Jaune asked, with Sauron grunting with approval at Jaune actually listening to him.

"Why my young protegé? Because I am the prepreitor of this fine establishment." He said with pride as he gestured with his arms, showing off the patrons and everything within the Hub. "I always wanted a place where all the civilized people of the world could enjoy themselves a good meal or a place to rest their minds from seeing such degeneracy in the outside world. Unfortunately it seems the outside world has decided to come in."

Roman pointed with his cane, to the still visibly retreating forms of the three harassers.

Sully the cashier stumbled over, holding a tray with a steaming cup of espresso on it. His legs were shaky and his breathing was labored as he neared Roman with his cup of coffee. Seemingly though, luck wasn't on Sully's side as he tripped over nothing and the cup of espresso flew from the tray.

Time slowed down for several seconds, as the cup soared in the air, the liquid inside somehow nit spilling over, as it inched closer and closer to Roman. Jaune's eyes didn't catch it, but Sauron's share of their vision did. There was a flash in Roman's eye, a hard glint of concentration before his cane lashed out.

Jaune's breath caught as the cup's handle was caught by the end of Roman's cane and with a move and accuracy only capable of masters of their weapons, Roman balanced the cup and placed it in front of him without spilling a single drop. The espresso itself was undamaged, the whipped cream with a hint of cinnamon on top still in pristine condition.

"Thank you Sully. But do be a bit more careful. Now run along and take care of the other customers.", Roman said as he took an appreciative sip of his drink. Sully trembled a bit and nodded, before he disappeared in a flash, a fake smile plastered on his scared face as he atteneded to the other patrons of the Hub.

 _'That mortal welp's fear is cocnerning. Ask Roman about that. The man may be hiding something.'_ Sauron suggested. Roman himself looked like nothing had happened and sighed in delight as he drank the caffinated, hot, beverage.

"Uh Roman? What's wrong with Sully?" Jaune gestured to the shivering man, who even from this distance Jaune could tell was sweating profusely and giving them weird looks as Roman continued to drink his esspreso.

"Just the nerves when the boss is around. When you get to that age where you start working, your boss, if he's a good one will scare you to the bone.", he said nonchalantly.

"Wow. You must be a very a good boss then." Jaune complimented as Sully looked like he was on the verge of having a heart attack.

"You flatter me. All I do is just drop by my buisness place , and I make sure they're up to my standards. Its good buisnees and it keeps the money flowing.", Roman explained as he placed his empty cup to the side. Sully was there in a flash, retrieving it, before he dashed off again.

"Where else do you work?" Jaune questioned. Sauron was wearily paying attention, a storm of concern flowing into Jaune's mind. Roman put his hand on his chin, and gained a rather complex expression before he answered.

"Well I have other buisnesses like this sprawled all over Vale. Plus I have buisness in some banks, other stores, musuems, and keep this between the two of us, but I even have a hand in the Schnee Dust Corporation." the well dressed man said, leaning towards Jaune as he said the last part of his statment. Jaune could only look at him in awe, while Sauron grew even more suspicous.

 _'He's hiding something. He's not giving all the details'_ Sauron spoke as Roman flagged down Sully again.

'Of course he's hiding something. We only just met him.' Jaune reasoned. Sauron only growled in annoyance.

 _'I don't know how you saw through my story, but this man is hiding something. Open your eyes.'_

'Fine what is Roman's big secret then huh? Please give me some theories.'

 _'A thief'_

Jaune couldn't help himself as he snorted at the thought. This garnered Roman's attention as he contemplated over another cup of coffee and a platter of breakfast. Sully was also there, delivering a basket of freshly baked pastires, still shaking and shivering profusely.

"What's the matter?" Roman asked as he munched on his own bowl of hash browns. The well dressed man had good taste.

"I just thought if something really funny." Jaune answered good naturedly.

"And what's so funny?" Roman asked with a smirk.

"Oh it's nothing. Its just you made your job sound like a thief or something.", Jaune answered honestly.

 _'Observe.'_ Sauron commanded. Jaune's eyes narrowed slightly as, following his statement Roman froze up slightly. Were it not for Sauron's sight catching it, Jaune would have missed it.

"W-What?" Roman spoke with surprise and at the same time another emotion Jaune couldn't put his finger on.

 _'Its fear. Close in on the question.'_ Sauron spoke.

"I mean why work for some smaller banks when the Schnee Dust Company is the largest in the world? I would think that someone that has a hand in it wouldn't need to work for smaller companies." Jaune, listed off not quite aware of what he was saying.

"I mean you were pretty proud of its, but you also leaned in to whisper it into my ear to keepit secret. And musuems are usually run by the government and not alot of money can be taken from them. Cleanly that is. And since you're an important part of " Jaune continued to say, before a gloved hand wrapped around his mouth.

Jaune looked up striaght into Roman's eyes, and for the first time Jaune could clearly see the fear in Roman's eyes. Wait. He was really a thief?!

 _'I told you.'_ Sauron gloated with a sickly sweet tone to his voice, that didn't match the Maiar at all.

 **X.**

Roman had gotten careless. He had not proceeded to count the young man infront of him as a threat and he would pay dearly for it. Already he could feel the eyes of cameras and Jaune's accomplices on him. If that was even the boy's real name. Whatever faction had hired they young man, they had chosen their operative well. They had caught Roman off guard. They had played Roman. They had played Neo.

That was unaccpetable.

"Who do you work for?" he growled menacingly at the one-eyed operative infront of him. However, even with his preperations to end the young man infront of him, he felt something was very off about this situation.

"Wait really? You're a thief?" Jaune asked him with excitement and awe. His one eye shimmered with a youthful energy, full of potential and naievety. Perhaps Roman had misjudged the situation twice.

"I'm not some lowly thief who steal from the elderly. I'm an _operative._ I am far more complex than a thief. Now start talking.", he hissed.

"That's good to hear. You're dressed too nicely to be a criminal." Jaune reasoned, and Roman could feel some pride fill him when the boy praised his fashion. Even as an operative for a different faction, at least he had the curtesy to praise his fasion sense.

He quickly shook his head of the thought. The kid was good at distracting him, he'll give him that.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere. Tell me who you work for and I may give you the chance to sort this out in your favor.", Roman said, the threat hopefully intimidating enough. Roman hated killing, but if this operative proved too dangerous, he would have to put him down. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"Uhhh I don't work for anyone. I'm underaged.", Jaune answered, his expression remaining neutral. Roman felt his teeth grit together in frustration. It was one of those cheeky ones. And Roman hated the cheeky ones.

"Then how do you know who I am!" He hissed at him. Jaune blinked before he drove a nail into Roman's quickly crumbling understanding of the situation.

"Because you just told me who you were."

"..."

".."

"Roman?"

He could feel something snap within him. Realizaton flooded into him and he could feel the glorious affects of caffeine wear off way too quickly. There was no way that he had mistaken this boy has an operative. No possible way. He had to have a semblance that made him an excellent actor. Or perhaps he had been specifically trained in the art of manipulation. There was no way Roman Torchwick, Criminal Mastermind, had told an innocent bystander that he was a thief that was wanted internationnaly.

"Tell me. Do you know anyone by the name of Ozpin?" Roman asked. Anyone compentent would know the name of Beacon's illustrious Headmaster. Even if the name brought some pain to his heart, that he squahsed with relish.

"Who?"

Roman's eye twitched, before the consequences of his hastiness came crashing down on him. He had revealed to a civilian and totally clueless bystander that he was a thief. A good one, granted, who had stolen from the SDC itself. He fought the instict of slamming his head into his hands, but he stopped himself. Showing weakness in this situation wold help no one. And he needed to resolve it quickly.

"Wait. If you're not a thief. Then what are you?" Jaune asked.

If Roman was any less experienced he would have squandered the chance that the deity who was watching over him had given him.

"Well kid, I'm not exactly who I said am. But that's a secret. But good job, you caught me off guard.", Roman said, his superior acting skills coming to play. Surviving in the underworld required many talents and arts. Acting and manipulation chief among them.

"Let's keep this between us now okay?" Roman suggested, actually praying that this would work.

"Don't worry Roman. Your secret is safe with me.", Jaune said reassuringly, placing a comforting hand on Roman's shoulder. He in return could only balk and give him an incredulous look. Jaune was fine with a situation as bizarre at this? And he called for his acting?

"Wait. You're just fine with this?" This kid was outrageous on several levels. He had the upper hand on him. He could expose Roman and his employers and dozens of plans and machinations would crumble here and then. How did he fall for such an unconvincing act?

"I mean as long as you don't kill people or hurt them, then I'm fine with it. Everyone's got their secrets.", Jaune responded. Roman admitted that that line was indeed somewhat ominous. There was more to this young man then what initial looks said.

"Even you?"

In return Jaune only shrugged, and responded with. "Everyone's got their secrets. You and me both. I only have a problem with it if it hurts or kills people.", he answered again.

"Not like I could stop you even if I wanted too." Jaune reasoned.

Roman supposed that he had heard much worse reasons. But there was a level of unawareness around Jaune. He was smart, but ignorant. Ignorant of the factions, and their wagers on the coming storm. Ignorant of the wars brewing in the shadows. Ignorant of what was truly happening.

And there was so much potential in that.

The boy was special. An unknown and not refined, but he could be sculpted. There was so much potential in him. Roman could feel it. He could prove himself as a powerful ally if he had a chance to grow stronger and truly learn about the world.

Mysterious, surprising, and so much potential. No wonder Neo had a little crush on him. Jaune was a game changer. Roman was sure of it.

"Well kid you're something special. I'll give you that. You got me. I'll admit you got me.", Roman laughed it off as Jaune eyed him suspiciously. At this point the entire situation was funny if not damaging to Roman's well deserved ego.

"Now come along protogé of mine. We have some training to do.", Roman said with a somewhat fake enthusiasm. Truthfully a thousands schemes and plans were racing through his head. Much like his mindset when he was planning a big heist, Roman was currently calculating and simulating dozens of scenarios that would span over the years.

After all this heist, would change the world.

 **X.**

Jaune crashed into the dirt floor of the Dojo again. He sputtered, before reflexes honed over hours of getting the shit knocked out of him made him roll out of the way of a painful kick. He gave a groan however when his evasive maneuvers agricated several large bruises on his body.

 _'Damned mortal frailty. You're grasp on mortality aggravates me. Now get up and counterattack, before they land another blow on us.'_ Sauron growled painfully. Jaune gasped in pain as he kneeled on a particularly nasty bruise, but through the agony he propped himself up again and faced his teachers.

Neo and Roman only stared at him with undreadable expressions as he faced off against them again. It was rinse and repeat effort, and no doubt Jaune knew that they were quite annoyed at his sub-par performance. He had barely been able to land some blows on them and when he thought he landed a particularly solid strike they only shook it off like nothing had happened.

This was a common occurrence over the past three hours, which consisted of Jaune getting knocked around by Roman's cane and and Neo's fists and heels. If it weren't for Sauron barking instructions and generally helping him avoid un coming attacks, he would far more beat than he was currently.

 _'Do not give me all the credit. You are not as hopeless as I had previously thought.'_ Sauron commented as Roman easily parried his sword strike, but before Roman could do any real harm to him, the well dressed man found the shield of Crocea Mors violently pushed against him.

To Jaune's credit he actually made the stronger man slide several feet, and he swung his sword. But not in the way you would initially think.

 _'Block.'_

'Block.'

They thought at the same time. The blade of Crocea Mors at the moment served as a make shift shield, as the the sliver of metal blocked a powerful kick from Neo. He staggered under the strength of it, but the from such a powerful attack, Neo was open for a counter attack.

His shield once again served as a weapon as it slammed into the short girl. Previously he would have chided himself and profusely apologized for hitting her so hard. He had learned not to do that the hardway. He had recieved enough blows after letting down his guard to last him several life times.

Jaune's eye widened in shock and fear and he braced himself with his shield. Had he been a second too late a heeled kick and a spinning wheel of silver would have probably break his ribs. Instead it knocked him flat on his ass and he proccedded to skid through the dirt floor for several feet. When he finally stopped skidding, he was into much pain to register he was in a shallow grove, carved by his body as it was dagged across the dirt.

Everything hurt. Trying to move was excruciating. Trying to breath was agonzing. Existence was damning.

Groaning in pain, he didn't notice that Roman was hefting him up and propping him against his shoulder, until Sauron was cursing loudly for them to be left alone. Great, not only was his physical body in agony, his mental plain was echoing what Sauron was feeling, who in turn was feeling what Jaune was. The complicated subject matter only gave Jaune a bigger headache.

 _'Good news. Nothing permament has been done. However, most of your body has been heavily bruised. We need immediate res-Arghhh! You damned cultured brute! Do you know who you're holding?!'_ Sauron snarled as they were gently propped against the wall of the Dojo.

Jaune's breathing was becoming more labored as the intense pain radiating through his body increased. It hurt so god damn much. So intense was Jaune's pain that he barely noticed as Roman checked him over, gently patting his brusied areas, probably in an attempt to see the extent of your injuries.

'It hurts so much Sauron.' Jaune pleaded to his Maiar companion. He only recieved the Maiar's groan of agony as his initial response, but Sauron made sure to respond to him.

 _'Believe me whelp. I know exactly what you're feeling right now. They're strikes are like getting assualted by mountain trolls. How has man accumalted so much strength?'_ Sauron responded.

Jaune would have mentally replied, but he felt something cold, and like the texture of powder enter his mouth. On pure reflex alone he swallowed it, and he could vaguely hear Roman through the daze that had settled on his mind.

"Damn...why didn't...tell me...run..aura." He could barely make out his words, but even with the identifciation of some of the words, he still had no idea what he was talking about.

Admittingly, both Sauron and Jaune didn't initially feel the small flare of heat that ignited in their stomach. They had thought that it was just a side effect of their merciless beating from Roman and Neo. Then the fire in his belly spread.

Pained and healing flesh melded together to make a dizzying sensastion embrace his body. Jaune could feel his blood boil and welts and bruises burn under the heat. There was also a tug of sorts within his heart, as if something within his heart was being pulled out by the fire assualting and healing his body.

Slowly, but surely his breathing was became easier. His body was slowly being voided of pain, and even the largest of the brusies on his body were only left as smaller, almost unnoticable patches of purple flesh.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, all that remained of Jaune's previous agony was a dulling tiredness that remained over him. He was exhausted, and Sauron was most likely tired too, evidence by his silence.

He could barely feel the soft hands of Neo help him stand and support him as they walked him home. But despite her short height, she was surprisingly able to practically carry him. That shouldn't be a surprise to him, however, after the literal beat down she had given him. He must have looked like a total failure right now, making Neo practically carry him like this.

 _'We must get stronger. We were lucky enough to land some blows, but they were only toying with us. An admiral effort, but you must try harder tommorow.'_ Sauron said, as they suddenly found themselves in front of the Arc Manor, a sound like breaking glass jarring them back to reality.

Jaune blinked a few times before he righted himself, or at least attemtped to, as his tenous strength failed him again and he fell over. Luckily Neo was there to catch him again.

"Thanks Neo.", he said as he tiredly grinned down at his savior. She only puffed her cheeks in an exasperated look and looked away, although for some reason her cheeks were dusted with ahint of red. Maybe she was getting tired from pratically draging him to his huse in what fekt like such little time.

'We should get some rest first. I think we fell asleep on the way here.' Jaune pointed out as Neo knocked on his front door.

 _'A hot meal wouldn't hurt as well. Not to mention a small heap of sweets. And plenty of time to gaze at some more ridiculous weapons. Those all would be greatly appreciated.'_ Sauron said, as the front door opened to reveal his mother. She would not take this well.

"Jaune!?" She cried out as Neo gently handed him over to his mother. At first he tried to stand, to prove to the both of them that he was in fact fine. Unfortunately his strength failed him again and he slumped against his mother's strong form.

"What happened?!" she said as she gently supported her incredibly tired and weak son. Neo herself, flondered for a moment, attemtpting to find some way to convey words that she wasn't capable of saying.

"Neo can't speak, Mom. Try and use some hand gestures to her, Neo.", Jaune's tired voice sounded out. It was already getting hard to speak, and consciousness was slowly slipping from him. Damn it, it was only 1:30 in the afternoon?!

Neo nodded, and then with a simple gesture, a simple pounding of her fist into her hand, some how his mother was able to decipher her sign language.

"He got into a fight?" Savannah Arc said in disbelief, and fear. They had just given him Crocea Mors, and already he was returning home brusied and battered.

Neo nodded, and pointed to herself, an attempt to show that he had fought for her. Once again Savannah proved that she could understand her.

"He fought for you?"

Neo nodded again, although there was a small smile on her face. Although maybe Jaune was losing his eyesight due to his rapid loss of having the strength to stay awake.

 _'No. She is most undoubtedly smiling.'_ Sauron reassured.

'Thats nice.' Jaune spoke back, a small grin on his face.

"God damn it Jaune. You don't even have aura and you're rushing in to save every damsel of distress you can find.", his mother chided him, but there was a undertone of pride to it. It was good to see that someone was actually proud of him. Even though the actual fight had happened the previous day before.

Neo herself froze, and a look of unadulterated shock consumed her. She could only look at Jaune, with wide eyes, and an open mouth.

His mother caught the expression, however, and proceeded to misread it. "Yes, quite the knight in shining armor isn't he?"

Neo only shook her head of her previous expression, before she nodded vigoriously. She then gave a bow before she turned around and began to walk away.

"Neo.", Jaune weakly called out to his teacher. She stopped in her walk back, and turned around to address him.

"Same time tommorow?" He asked, hope evident in his voice. Sauron and him really needed this training. Hopefully, he hadn't disappointed them to greatly with his lack of combat training.

Neo, however, shook her head as negative. But, before Jaune's dreams and hopes could be shattered, she raised one finger, obviously to convey something. It was amessage that Jaune got and understood.

"I get a day off?"

She nodded happily, and procceded to walk herself back to where ever her home was. His mother, in turn, closed the front door and began to support him to his room.

"Let's get you back to your room, Mr. Knight in shining armor.", she joked as they ascended the stairs to the second floor. Sauron and Jaune both groaned at her teasing.

 **X.**

Roman could feel his excitement grow when Neo told him that their young pupil hadn't even unlocked his aura yet. He was already impressing Roman by the minute, especially when he had fought aginst both Roman **_and_** Neo for three hours straight. Most Hunters-in-training wouldn't hope to dream to last minutes against them. Then for a untrained, young, auraless, Jaune to not only go for so long, but also manage to land a few good hits on them was nothing less than spectacular.

Granted, they weren't going full out, but the boy had impressed Roman greatly. He would be a magnificent ally.

And he had thought previously that he had wasted that expensive healing dust. If he had aura, those bruises would have disappeared within the hour, no matter how drained he was. But for an auraless civillian, those wounds would have been lethal. He couldn't have his interesting investments die on him could he?

Hope was welling in Roman's chest by the truckfuls, similar to the euphoria when he pulled off an impressive heist.

Just maybe. Just maybe if he trianed Jaune fast enough, they could actaually save Canvas from the coming storm.

 **x.**

Dozens of miles away from Canvas, a horde pressed on through the huge forest. Not of Grimm however. But of people.

Dead people.

Shambling corpses, desecrated husks, and living corpses marched on, their eyes holding a black glint to them, like shards of obsidian were lodged in their retinas.

And leading them forward, mounted on a skeletal horse, was a hooded figure. Draped in a black robe, and with rattling bone armor covering him, he lead his horde to their target city.

The Necromancer required more flesh and souls, and as his loyal servant, he would deliver. Not to mention, several of the Queen's most trusted operatives lay in the city. Two birds with one storm.

The war for Remnant was beginning, and Canvas would be painted with blood to begin it.

 **X.**

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully my writing appeases you guy and you enjoy this story. I actually really want this to work, so please leave a review, and favorite and follow. It really helps any writer you do that for. When you do that, thats our reason for writing more for you guys. So hopefully i can crank out the third chapter out soon, and hopefully there will be actual combat in it.**


	3. The Canvas is Ruined

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited my story. Really helps me out, and makes me know that people appreciate all the work I put into this story. Well we got a rather intense chapter here, so enjoy.**

 **Chapter Edit: Due to the many reviews and PMs that I have recieved to fix my grammar and spelling, I have chosen to go back and attempt to fix them all. If I have missed anything, do let me know. If anyone can, I would appreciate a beta.**

Over the course of the week, Jaune had become quite familiar with a certain aspect of the Dojo's surroundings. The dirt floor of its courtyard.

Once again Jaune crashed into the ground, a good strike from Roman effectively toppling him. This had been going on for a while now, and even with Sauron's constant advice, Jaune found himself outmatched in all areas.

 _'Get back up fool. Aim for his left side. Keep your eyes on his weapon. I can not to do everything for you.'_ Sauron snarled though the pain, as once again Jaune picked himself from the dirt, his body aching.

Roman could only chuckle as his cane twirled in his hand, Neo snickering in the background.

The rest of the week proceeded much as the same as the previous days. He would attend a training session with Roman and Neo, get the stuffing knocked out of him, have Neo practically drag him home, and allow him to rest for a day, before he went back to train again. His parents had been busy with some hunter business, and his sisters were all struggling with their summer work. He didn't want to distract them from their work, so he had all his lessons come from Roman and Neo.

It was a pattern that Jaune and Sauron were getting used to, but it still held its unfamilarities. Such as today, a Friday, Roman had opted to actually teach Jaune something instead of beating him around with his cane. Jaune was not one to complain about that.

Except it had transformed into another beat down, that bruised Jaune's body and his pride. Sauron only laughed, despite the fact he grunted in pain whenever Jaune was struck.

The well dressed, but mysterious, man stood in front of him, cane in hand and a smirk adorning his face. His cane was nonchalantly spinning by his side, a wheel of spinning silver that betrayed how much skill and mastery went into it.

"Strike me.", he commanded simply. The smirk, however, never left his face. Jaune narrowed his eyes and he fell back into his stance, shield up and Crocea Mors ready to strike.

 _'He's planning something nefarious. His smirk reminds me of the arrogance of the elves and men of old. Only thing was that the elves earned their arrogance in battle. Man was just plain arrogant. Although this man has proved to have combat prowess similar to that of the elves.'_ Sauron warned. Jaune braced himself as he raised Crocea Mors to strike Roman.

The old sword had proven its metal and mettle as it had preformed magnificently despite its old age. Sauron, himself, was impressed by the blade, saying that not even the old elven blacksmiths of his age had not made a finer sword. He claimed that only Celebrimbor, an elvish blacksmith who had helped Sauron craft the rings of power, had created greater marvels.

Despite the sword's heavy blade, over the week Jaune had learned how to properly swing it, and how to properly grip his blade to defend against a strike. In all honesty it had been a sink or swim situation, and Jaune had to learn quick if he wanted to stand any chance of actually landing a blow on the two experienced hunters.

His second lesson on Wednesday had been more of an endurance test than anything. Jaune began their training by having Roman strap several large weights on him and make Jaune surge after him and Neo for hours, trying to land a blow on them, despite the fact that they were many times faster than him.

Neo herself remained untouched the entire training segment, as it seemed that as soon as Jaune blinked she moved to a new position. Not even Sauron could trace her, which lead to some preposterous ideas and theories from the Maiar. Like the thought that she could create illusions. Jaune himself had jokingly said that she was capable of teleporting. Now that would be preposterous.

However, striking Roman had proven to be a far harder task. Because he hit back.

Jaune soon found his arm intertwined with Roman's, Crocea Mors being rendered useless in this type of situation. He couldn't even attempt to swing, not with Roman so close and pinning his arm with some fancy martial arts move.

Melodic Cudgel was gripped in his other hand, ready to strike.

It came to Jaune's and Sauron's great surprise that people outside the Arc Family had named their weapons. Jaune found it rather cool, especially when they had such eccentric names like Roman's cane. Sauron found it quite stupid, but Jaune had snarkily replied that Sauron himself had helped make several _**named** _rings of power.

 _'They were named because they deserved to be named. They were marvels of smithing, and powerful magic was embued into them. They received names because they were powerful.'_

'Are you saying that Melodic Cudgel isn't powerful?' Jaune questioned. They both had first hand experience on how powerful the simple cane was.

 _'I never said the tool wasn't strong. But it isn't powerful. Being powerful means that you have a quality that transcends martial might. Something that makes it more than just tool. Something that makes it a weapon.'_

Their inner musing on weapons, however, were cut short as Melodic Cudgel collided into his chest, and Roman effortlessly knocked Jaune to the ground.

 _'Keep your eyes on your opponent fool.'_ Sauron hissed, as Jaune picked himself up from the ground, soothing the spot where Roman's weapon had hit.

'I thought you were!' Jaune hissed back. It wasn't like Jaune was the only one capable of looking through his eyes.

 _'I was because I'm not a fool like you, but, unfortunately, I don't have control over your body. If I did we wouldn't be in this position.'_

Jaune wisely refrained from the talking back. The Maiar had won that conversation.

"Now Jaune, I will admit that you are as plain as a knight in armor as can be. You can take hits, and keep going and if you actually land a hit, they actually have some weight to him. But what you lack is speed. That's why I had you run a round like a maniac chasing us last time.", Roman said as he circled around Jaune like a shark.

Jaune, himself, braced with his shield and sword and warily watched as his mentor circled him, spinning his cane nonchalantly. All the while Roman continued to talk, as if he wasn't about to assualt him.

"But your legs aren't the only things that need to be fast. Your arms need to be fast. Your body has to be fast. And most important of all, your mind has to be fast.", and as he finished, Melodic Cudgel lashed out.

To his credit, or Sauron's for that matter, they did attempt to defend themselves, seeing the nearing end of Roman's cane. But Crocea Mors blade was useless as Melodic Cudgel was improvised as a rapier, and harshly slid across his cheek. Even as a blunt weapon, Jaune could feel blood seep through the cut that Roman's attack had left.

"We're going to have to work on that, hmmmm?" Roman hummed as he retracted his cane. Jaune gave a snort before h thumbed the cut that the fast strike had left. It stung, but it wasn't deep, and the bleeding would eventually stop.

Roman positioned himself in front of Jaune once again. Melodic Cudgel was held infront of his face, mimicking the fancy way swordsman saluted each other before dueling in the days of old. And with a twirl and a few fancy spins, Roman's cane was brandished like a sword.

"Now, I'm not just teaching you how to fight. I'm also teaching you how to be a gentleman. Now salute back." Roman said, patiently waiting for Jaune to reenact the movement they had practiced for a ludicrous amount of time.

 _'I do hope you remember his other lesson. I'd teach you it myself, but unfortunately your thick head only listens to him.'_ Sauron said as Jaune presented Crocea Mors the same way Roman had done several moments ago.

'What lesson was that?'

Soon, Jaune found himself sputtering out dirt and clay, courtesy of Roman knocking some of the loose ground of the Dojo's court yard into his face. Melodic Cudgel soon found itself in Jaune's undefended gut, making the young man keel over from the pain.

 _'Do anything to win.'_ Sauron grunted, as Jaune held his stomach tightly and allowed himself to wait out the dull agony that shook his abdomen.

"Now Jaune, don't get me wrong. Being an honorable knight in this barbaric world is nothing short but amazing. However, the world isn't going to make it easy to you. People will cheat you. People will outsmart you. People will break you. And all you can do is prepare yourself.", Roman said as he allowed Jaune to recover from his sudden assault.

"So. Get ready.", Roman remarked staring down at Jaune. Jaune gave a grunt of pain before he allowed himself to stand up, stumbling as he did so.

"And again." And onced again, the cane lashed forward only to be parried by Jaune's blade. Sparks ignited as the different dust coatings of both weapons collided. Jaune gritted his teeth as he was easily pushed back, his shoes digging through the dirt, as Roman easily overpower him.

 _'What are you doing? Fight back fool!'_ Sauron exclaimed, as Roman continued to push him back with minimal effort.

'I am! He's too strong!' Jaune mentally yelled back, as his right arm began to shake under the immense strain at attempting to block Roman.

 _'Do not try to fool me! I can feel your fear of this man. Stomp it out and push him back!'_ Sauron roared, and Jaune's fear of Roman was quenched and replaced with anger.

Sauron didn't think that he wasn't trying? That he wasn't giving his all! That no matter what he did, he never be strong enough!

Jaune's teeth bared in a sharp scowl and his legs tensed with angry power, and Roman's impressive advanced was suddenly halted.

 _'You're right. You are weak. You are slow. You are unworthy. You are **pathetic**.' _Sauron hissed, and Jaun'es anger was transformed into pure rage.

Crocea Mors sang as its sharp metal grated across Melodic Cudgel's frame. Both weapons were shaking from the strain of the enormous amounts of strength being pushed onto them. The eyes of their opponent widened as the amount of force coming from Jaune, began to increase drastically.

Roman now found himself being pushed back greatly by Jaune. The young knight continued to take step after step, the shield of Crocea Mors laying forgotten on his left arm. Jaune's right arm was solely focused on pushing back Roman, who at this point was supporting Melodic Cudgel with both hands. It almost seemed to Jaune that he was slightly glowing, that a dim shine of white, shone from his skin.

Now it was Roman's feet who were being dragged through the dirt, and he possessed nothing at the moment to actually stop Jaune's advance. If he were to attempt to only use one hand to hold back Crocea Mors, then undoubtedly he would lose more footing and there was a major chance that Jaune would actually ruin his suit if Melodic Cudgel wasn't there to block it.

That in itself would be unexcusable.

This bout of strength ended in several moments, but not before Jaune had managed to push Roman all the way back to their inital sparring spot. The strength that Jaune had, began to fade, and soon Jaune found himself on one knee, breathing heavily.

Sweat ran down his face, and he could feel the claws of disappoinment grip his heart. He hadn't done much to Roman, only managing to catch him off guard and push him back several feet, before he grew too tired to actually do anything. The cloud of disappointment and self loathing began to cloud his mind, bringing down his already fragile mind set.

.

That is until Sauron banished it with a mental, ethereal hand.

 _'None of that whelp. None of that right now, at least. I can't believe I'm saything this to you of all people, but you did a fine job.'_ Sauron spoke. Jaune felt confusion as well as some of the heaviness weighting down on him be lifted.

'I thought you said I was pathetic?' Jaune asked his strangely acting mental companion.

 _'Which you are. All mortals are for that matter. Every I word said before was true._ ' Sauron spoke, and Jaune could feel some of the storm of negativity return.

 _'But I never said you weren't improving. Had you been around during my Age, you would have made a fine soldier.'_ Jaune blinked a few times, and it took several seconds of registiring what he just said, before he finally understood what had happen. Sauron had actually complimented him?

 _'For a man that is.'_ Sauron said, after a few moments. Jaune couldn't help but roll his eyes mentally at him. Of course Sauron would ruin such a moment. But Jaune's pride was sated and his heart certainly felt much lighter.

 _'Not to mention, your emotions were easy to manipulate. You must learn to control them, or someone who actually wants to do harm to you will exploit them_ _maliciously.'_ Sauron chided him. Jaune only blinked at what he had said.

'So you insulted me just to get a rise out of me?' Jaune asked. Had he been that easy to manipulate?

 _'Why yes. Yes I did. I do believe it worked splendidly too.'_ Sauron confirmed.

'Why would you do that?' Jaune questioned him. Was there some hidden motive for Sauron doing that to him?

 _'Because.'_ Sauron explained with a tone that was like he was talking to an ignorant child. In Sauron's opinion he was indeed talking to an ignorant child. _'Your emotions make you strong. Especially you're anger. If there is something I learned from fighting your kind for decades, its that their emotions can lead to unexpected things.'_

Jaune remembered Sauron boasting of his many manipulations. That fact seemed to ease Jaune's hurt pride of being played like a fiddle.

"Where have you been hiding that Kid!", Roman cheered as he dusted off his scuffed shoes. The usually immaculately sh Jaune knew Roman would've either bought a new pair, or find someone who should meticulously clean and repair them later. The man was classy like that.

From the sidelines Neo clapped loudly, wearing a happy expression. She sat on a nearby bench, enjoying a nice bowl of ice cream as she watched the two of them train. Seeing her do that, made a warm feeling spark in his chest.

 _'You mortal men and the hearts of maidens.'_ Sauron said with a teasing tone. Frankly Jaune had no idea what he was talking about.

'What?' He questioned the Maiar.

 _'Do not ask me fool. I know little to nothing on how you mortals find love.'_

'Love? What are you talking about?' Jaune asked his soul companion.

 _'Is that not what you did? Isn't that what you attempted to do?'_ Sauron asked, referencing Neo and Jaune's little interaction.

'No. That's not what love is at all. Do you even know what love is?' Jaune said. Granted, he knew little to nothing about love, anything related to it he had seen on bad romantic movies. But this was Sauron! He had always boasted how much knowledge he had, how many books and libraries he had read when he was in a kingdom known as Numenor. He never really commented on the country, but Jaune wouldn't want to be intrusive.

 _'I found such trifling matters beneath me. Maiar were meant for more than just minuscule emotions. Especially me, I had a world to conquer.'_ Sauron explained. _'Unions between other higher beings like the Valar were arranged by Eru.'_

'So you're just as clueless as me?'

Sauron remained silent for several minutes before responding. _'Yes.'_

Jaune only internally chuckled. His attention was quickly focused on his mentor, as he began to move towards him.

Roman walked towards him, rolling his shoulders and a smile on his face. Somehow the only thing dirty on the man were his shoes. He hadn't even begun to sweat yet.

"Damn, kid. Never knew you had it in you. That actually hurt you know?" Roman said, loud cracks coming from him as he stretched. It gave off the image that Roman felt no pain at all and wasn't in fact just saying that.

"Now, I can see that your beat from that little show of yours.", he said, taking note of Jaune's still labored breathing. "So, I'll make you do this one last time. Now you better impress me like you did just before.", Roman said as he wielded Melodic Cudgel like a rapier, eventaking the stance of the famous swordsman who used them.

Jaune allowed himself to take several more deep breaths before he pushed himself to his feet. His body was riddled by a dull pain, especially his right arm and legs, probably from actually being able of pushing the stronger Roman around. But he would have to power through it. He actually needed to impress Roman here.

Crocea Mors gleamed in the sunlight and his shield stood as his bastion. He wasn't a knight yet. But he was getting there.

 _'Don't forget Jaune. A shield can be a weapon. And a weapon can be a shield.'_ Sauron reminded as Jaune slowly began to trace Roman's own circular path.

Sword and cane barely graced the clay on the ground, as Roman and Jaune circled each other slowly. Roman's eyes were like spears of glinting emerald, while Jaune's were blazing oceans of sapphire fire.

Both were silent, only their breathing being the only noise coming from them. Even Sauron remained silent, vigilant through Jaune's eyes, wary of any small movements made by him.

A soft wind betrayed them. The gentle breeze swayed the trees, and their hair, and with its dying breath, their duel started.

Roman surged like a snake, Melodic Cudgel mimicking a fang as it sailed through the air.

 _'Move!'_ Sauron snarled and Jaune jumped back, moments before Melodic Cudgel impaled the ground where he had just stood. Roman gave him a smirk, before he tore his cane out of the ground and lashed at Jaune.

His shield came up, and Roman's strike impacted harshly on it. It was like getting hit by a car, and Jaune couldn't help but let himself skid back several feet. Pain shot through his left arm, like it was being torn apart by lightning.

 _'Damn this man. He must be part troll, his strength is unimaginable for a man of his size.'_ Sauron hissed, as Jaune finally stopped skidding and actually pushed himself towards Roman, closing the distance between the two of them.

 _'Aim for his left side. He's currently using his weapon on his right. That will be his weak spot.'_ Sauron adviced. He attempted to bash Roman with his shield, but Melodic Cudgel effortlessly stopped it with a strong strike, which threatened to knock over Jaune.

But with Melodic Cudgel busy with knocking away his shield, Crocea Mors sailed through the air, uncontested. That is until the curved end of the cane reached out and pulled aside the blade with ease. The sword flew from Jaune's hand and landed several feet away, the blade buried in the soft ground. Leaving Jaune with very limited offensive capabilities.

 _'Your grip on your sword is too loose. We will have to work on that later. Now follow that lesson I gave you not too long ago.'_ Sauron chided. Jaune growled as he gripped his shield with both hands and moved to swing at Roman with the improvised weapon.

This time Jaune's attack actually connected, Melodic Cudgel providing very little protection against such a broad space of attack. The shield smashed against Roman's right side and it must have been a strong blow as Roman actually skidded to the left resisting it. Although Jaune's arms were vibrating along with his shield.

A flash of light caught their attention however. Roman was glowing!

A pale green light was emanating from Roman, crackling and distorting. Like a second skin it clambered over his body, like a disturbed pool of water, distorted and unclear. And all he did was laugh as this strange phenomenon surrounded him!

"That was a good hit kid! You actually dented my Aura!" He laughed jovially, as the light shining of his body dimmed. Jaune and Sauron remained silent as they oberseved Jaune's mentor continue to laugh.

 _'What is this 'Aura' that he speaks of?'_ Sauron questioned. Not that Jaune knew anymore about Aura then Sauron did.

'I'll ask him.' Jaune suggested. Sauron could only silently agree.

"Uhh Roman? What exactly is Aura?" Jaune asked, eyeing his mentor's expression. Which shifted from full out laughter to a smirk, like he had just found something interesting.

"Ahh yes. You don't know what Aura is uhh?" He said, his signature smirk plastered on his face.

Jaune only nodded.

"Well to put it in the simplest terms I can, Aura is the very manifestation of your soul. Its like a shield of sorts. It coats your body and protects it. ' Roman said, as a whimsical look came over him. His hard emrald eyes had melted, and were now softer, like fields of grass.

"Or empowers it.", he qucikly added, eyeing Jaune, who's expression had changed to a blank, unbelieving stare.

"What?"

 _'What?'_

Both Jaune and Sauron asked at the same time. For Jaune, this was the first time he was hearing about this Aura, but pieces of the puzzle were clicking into place for him. No wonder Roman could shrug off such blows from Jaune, and not even flinch.

Sauron found it unbelievable. Had man progressed this far that they could call upon the vast power of their _feäs._ Not even the elves had assertained that power. How long had he been wandering as a disembodied spirit for man to master their own souls?

"How do you get aura? I've never heard of it.", Jaune said truthfully. He had never heard his mowther or father speak about it. Not even his sisters had said anything about this mysterious aura.

"Yeah I guessed as much. Most people don't have their auras unlocked, unless it gets really desperate. Too dangerous in their opinion. Only Hunters and Hunters-in-training are privy to it.", Roman said as they began to walk towards the exit of the courtyard, Jaune and Neo in tow.

"Why's that?" Jaune asked, feeling quite dumb at never hearing about such a thing that apparently all Hunters knew about.

Roman stopped and turned to Jaune, a serious expression adorning his face. Neo side stepped out of his gaze, leaving Jaune to face the normally relaxed man alone.

"Because, when people get aura they're expected to drop everything their doing and use their aura to defend other people. Their expected to leave their previous lives willingly, and commit themselves to the government's wishes. Some of them don't like have their rights practically taken away and sent to die for people who could care less about them. To the government, Hunters are tools.", Roman said, a hard edge to his voice that betrayed his thoughts for the government.

 _'I believe Roman has had conflicting confrontations with this pitiful government you mortals have set up for yourselves.'_ Sauron observed.

Jaune remained silent as a new perspective of the Hunters were shown to him. Weren't they the heroes of their world? Willing to do anything and save anyone for their just cause?

 _'Your definition of hero must be updated. A hero can be seen as one of the most horrendous villains in history. Their 'just cause' can be seen as an evil dogma, who's sole purpose is to ruin their way of life.'_ Sauron remarked.

"But I thought they were heroes?" Jaune asked, taking into account what Sauron had said. He really didn't need a deep mental conversation with Sauron about their colliding morals right now.

"Well of course they are. Just not the ones that are featured in the stories, you've undoubtedly read.", Roman said. "They aren't the beacons of purity and sainthood. They're masters of killing, human or Grimm both fall to their blades. In some cases they're even more of a monster than the Grimm are."

"Were you ever a hero?"

Roman froze and a look of nostalgia came over his face. There was a tense silence that followed, and Jaune and Sauron remained silent as they watched Jaune's mentor recall far away memories.

"At one point, that's all I wanted to do. Be a hero." Roman admitted. "But some things happened and I didn't want to save other people who didn't care about what you did. I only wanted to save myself, my stuff, and my people."

Jaune could only stare at him, while Sauron continued to analyze the man.

"My mentor wasn't too pleased with that, but he let me do what I wanted with my life and now I'm here.", he said gesturing between Jaune and himself.

Jaune's expression darkened, and he could already feel questions bubbling in his mind, before he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up and found Roman looking down on him, a small, sincere smile on his face.

"Not now Jaune. When you're older, that's when you'll finally you'll understand. Not now, however. Now, be the hero that you want to be, because later you'll won't remember how to be one.", he said sadly. Jaune felt his heart clench as he watched his mentor's expression. Even as young and inexperienced as he was, Jaune could see and understand the face of a man who's lost a lot more than his dreams.

 _'This is what true strength looks like. This is a man who's obviously lost a lot, but continues to live. To thrive. Conviction and determination alone is what saved your race from me. That is the one thing Man will ever have over the elves, dwarves, and the other now dead races of my Age. Their inner strength. Not even some Maiar have the same inner fortitude that some of your race possess.'_

Jaune preened and shivered from Sauron's statement. Jaune had never heard someone praise his kind so highly. The Faunus always were fighting against them, and even some humans hated their own races. But how pushed back was humanity, that the only thing that stopped Sauron was their unbreakable will? Not their weapons, not their armor or fortresses, only their will.

 _'Who said that Man defeated me? No. My folly was my overconfidence. I allowed the smallest, the meekest of the mortal races to destroy my ring. My feä was plucked from me by a Hobbit and destroyed within the confines of my own fortress. But I will admit, that man proved a thorn in my side time and time again.'_ Sauron said, a tone of exasperation and longing in his voice. Jaune wisely saved the rest of the story and his questions for later, for now he had to focus on the matter on hand.

"Do you remember?" Roman only looked at Jaune, with eyes that did not see him.

"No.", he answered simply and the conversation ended right there.

A few moments passed of a saddening silence, as Roman once again gained a far away look in his eyes. Jaune reached his arm out to grab him back into reality, but he found his arm hugged by Neo's, who only gave him a sad look and shook her head.

A few more moments passed before Roman shook his head and that familiar smirk came back to it. "Well enough of all this sad stuff. Right now we should be celebrating! Neo. Be a dear and get Jaune our gift please.", Roman said, his usual charm back in place.

Neo released his arm, and with a crack of light she disappeared. Jaune only blinked at the spot where she once stood, a smirk coming onto his face.

 _'Don't you dare.'_ Sauron warned.

Jaune's smirk grew larger.

 _'Don't.'_

Jaune's smirk threatened to split his face.

'I told you so.'

 _'I have never hated a mortal as much as I hated you at this point and time.'_ Sauron said, as Jaune lorded over the Maiar. It had never felt so good to be right about something before. Even when his answer was a joke.

 _'I'm still convinced that she has powers of the illusional world.'_ Sauron defended as Neo once again appeared in a flash of white, holding a large box easily despite her height. _'However, the ability to instantaneously disappear like that or reappear in another location would be quite advantageous in the future.'_

"Is that another perk of having Aura?" Jaune asked, referencing Neo's powerful ability to teleport.

Roman gained a thinking look, as Neo gently placed down the box, before he responded. "Yes and No. It is a trait of her Aura, but it's her own semblance."

"Semblance?"

 _'You humans have picked some particular words for your abilities and your world.'_ Sauron commented.

"I keep forgetting that you don't a lot of the world of the Hunters. A semblance is a unique 'quirk' that differentiates from each person. No two semblances are the same. Aura fuels it and it makes them even more deadly, especially if they have mastered theirs.", Roman answered.

 _'What do you suppose is your semblance? Any advantage over our enemies would be greatly desired.'_ Sauron asked.

"Semblances sometimes take years for someone to discover. It's like an instinct you never knew you had. So don't spend all your time trying to find it.", Roman said, unwittingly answering Sauron's question.

"But in celebration of you surviving our week of training we got you a gift. Now open it up.", Roman said as he kicked the box towards him, the sound of clanging metal coming from it.

It was a plain box, cardboard and obviously used, but Jaune felt his breath hitch as he stared at. Deftly his fingers lifted the cover and within is what sealed his fate as a knight.

 _'Armored coat it seems. Black cloth with dark, steel like metal. It protects the wearer in its vital areas, but it allows more mobility than regular, heavier armor. I approve. It certainly is more visually appealing than this ridiculous thing you are wearing right now.'_

'Hey! This is a limited edition Pumpkin Pete's Hoodie! You, yourself, said I should wear it!'

 _'Because fool. That's the best thing that your wardrobe had. Do have a bit more tact to your appearance.'_

Jaune internally grumbled, as he put on the armored coat, fastening buckles into place. It was certainly more intimidating than his hoodie, with its dull metal plates, covering his shoulders and chest. It wasn't too long, thankfully, so he wouldn't trip over himself, and it even came with a hood! It was mostly black, but it did have faint traces of silver and gold sprawled all over it, interlocking and creating a dashing display of contrast.

"And there's more! Me and Neo got a special deal with this one. Go ahead. Check.", Roman said excitedly, tapping the box with his cane. Jaune eagerly reached into the box, and with excited hands pulled out all sorts of add ons.

Bracers, armored gloves, shin guards, boots. All black, and ghosted with trails of gold and silver. But most impressive of all, was the helmet. Following the same color scheme as the rest of his armor set, it was undoubtedly the helmet of a knight, but it did have a polarized glass covering the visor.

 _'Yes. This is the armor befitting a warrior. Heavy armor protects vital areas, but it is light enough to effectively move in. The metal doesn't rattle, and the coloring of your armor allows for stealthy advances. However, it is brazen enough for you to belong on the front lines as well. Yes, I approve of this greatly.'_ Sauron commented as Jaune put on his helmet. It was snug, but comfortable, and despite the color of the visor glass, Jaune could see perfectly through it.

"Why would you get this for me?" Jaune asked, looking at Roman who wore an easy smirk.

"My young apprentice, you are an investment of mine. And I take care of investments very well.", He answered simply. "Plus I like you kid, and I wanted to do something a bit special for you. It didn't cost much out of my pocket anyway." Neo began to silently snicker at that statement, as if there was some unheard joke between the two there.

 _'They are hiding something.'_ Sauron said, as Jaune could feel some concern and wariness emanate from the Maiar. Jaune internally nodded. He was getting better at reading people. Or Sauron's ability to read people with frightening ease.

'Aren't we all?' Jaune joked, and Sauron responded by chuckling with mirth. That was their own inside joke that no one would ever get.

"But on a more serious note, Neo and I may not be around next week. Some business came up and we probably won't be around for a couple of months, so trainings postponed.", Roman said, a grimace on his face. Neo mimiced it, and from what both were expressing, they really didn't want to do their job. "I'm sorry to say that I don't think we can train you. At least for awhile."

"That's fine. You've already done enough for me. You shouldn't waste too much time on me, either way. You got a a job to do either way.", Jaune said.

"Nonsense! I'd rather train you then do my job. I find this far more pleasant than what I'm usually assigned. But life isn't fair is it?", Roman said honestly.

"But I fear that Neo and I are expecting someone with some...sensitive information. We should be going soon.", Roman said. Jaune nodded. Despite enjoying the two's company very much, Jaune was eager to get home and eat, sleep, and experiment with his new armor.

 _'Yes. It is almost time for our midday meal. Your matriarch promised us a divine broth of tomatoes and grilled bread and melted cheese. And some quiet time would be greatly appreciated.'_ Sauron commented. Jaune agreed full heartedly. _'But before we go, you must thank them for this gift. A sign of goodwill.'_

Taking heed of Sauron's suggestion Jaune showed his appreciation by doing what his family had taught him to show. By promptly hugging Neo.

Jaune was careful not to crush the smaller girl, especially with his plated coat, but he wanted to express how much he aprrecaited what they had done for him. Jaune was sure he heard a squeak come from the girl, but it was difficult to tell with Sauron's booming voice in his head.

When he released the girl, he found that her face was red and her eyes were wide. She must have been incredibly angry with that sudden action.

 _'I would be quite angry too. You must smell incredibly similar to that of a rotting corpse of a troll. Now be a bit more discreet when dealing with Roman. I'd think he'd appreciate it.'_ Sauron advised.

Jaune took that to heart and instead of outright hugging the man, which would undoubtably sully his suit, he held out his hand which Roman clasped with vigor.

"Even if you don't think that you're not a hero. Just remember that you're my hero Roman.", he spoke with a smile. This man had done so much for him over the week. Train him, teach him, and genuinely make Jaune feel like he had a chance in the world. He owed this man so much.

Roman gave a laugh at that before he responded, "Oh quiet you, you're going to make me blush. Now get moving. I doubt Mama Arc wouldn't care for a late son."

He practically booted Jaune away from him, but it was filled with an amiable feeling instead of annoyance. Jaune only snickered as he began walking away from the Dojo's outside field. However, before Jaune could fully leave the field, he heard Roman speak up again.

"And Jaune! Make sure you take care of yourself tonight! Don't do anything stupid!", Roman sounded out, worry quite evident in his voice.

"Don't worry! I won't!" Jaune said waving back at his mentor, who could only release a sigh of exasperation seeing his nonchalant behavior.

'That's some nice advice he gave.' Jaune thought as he turned away, new helmet under his arm, and new armored coat blowing slightly in the wind.

 _'That wasn't advice fool.'_ Sauron said, making Jaune feel a hole of dread fill him.

 _'It was a warning.'_

 **X.**

Roman could only sigh as he saw Jaune walk away. That kid was going places. If they were good and bad completely relied on him. But the kid had left an impact on him and Neo. Especially Neo by the way that was she was fidgeting, along with the bright blush on her face. Maybe he should have taught the Arc on how to handle a woman?

The armor itself was just some heavily modified military armor that Neo had stolen, and Roman had redesigned the armored plates on a fashionable coat to make it look knight like, as well as ascertain the needed accessories for Jaune to look good. All stolen of course.

But the boy had improved drastically, and he and continued to surprise Roman all through the week. Especially where he had been overpowered by the Jaune in their latest training session. By no means was Roman a weak man. Far from it actually, especially when he could slice Grimm in half with a blunt cane of all things. Jaune, however, had overpowered him and actually managed to push Roman back quite a distance. An aura-less, untrained boy had proven that he had the physical attributes to outshine some full grown hunters themselves.

Roman had made a good choice in choosing his allies and Jaune was proving himself to be quite the star. But for now, he had someone else to worry about,

"Candle Light. This is Mastermind and Three-in-one reporting in.", he said into his scroll. Neo stood next to him solemnly. She hated these meetings almost as much as he did. The code names didn't help as well. It somehow highlighted the type of work that they were getting themselves into. And how distasteful it truly was.

"Mastermind, I do hope that everything is prepared for the Necromancer's arrival. You need to extract your objective as soon as possible. We don't want you being distracted by anything. Especially from this new 'contact' I've heard about.", her voice was like fire and ash, and Roman felt fear burn through him. And also anger. Leave it to Sully to spill the beans. He was so fired when Roman got his hands on him.

But at the moment he needed to improvise.

"Yes. I found a promising possible operative. I feel that he could be an extremely helpful asset if given the proper training.", Roman explained. He saw Neo look at him in disbelief and anger for roping Jaune into their game for the world. Roman would apologize to him later. Now he needed to save their hides.

"Training a new operative was not your assignment. You were supposed to prepare to stop the Necromancer's forces.", The voice wreathed. Candlelight was getting angry. Not good.

"Candlelight when have I led you astray before? I really think that this new operative could be a great asset. Even a game changer.", he answered truthfully. Jaune could surely be a game change, just not for who she thought.

Candlelight allowed a hum to come from the speaker, and it practically set his skin a flame.

"Very well. And what exactly is the name of this new agent of yours?" Roman felt some panic enter him. He couldn't give Jaune's actual name. That would result in him being immediately targeted and great, unneeded risk. He needed a code name immediately.

Neo came to his salvation, by flapping her hands, giving a mimicry of a birds wings. Bird code names were intimidating and easy to make up. Yes, something avian would be grand for Jaune. But bird names were becoming quite dull and quite suspicious a short of late, especially with Ozpin's best agent and and a powerful rogue being named after such avian creatures.

But what else had wings and was intimidating? Something like Bullhead or any mechanical marvel would just be stupid and incredibly unflattering. Dragon didn't seem to fit Jaune at all. The only thing left would be something around the parameters of 'Angel., but that would be...

Perfect.

"Arc Angel.", he said confidently. He could hear Neo clap lightly for his genius, which was he was all too deserving of for coming up with such a good name.

"Arc Angel? What an interesting name. Alright Mastermind, you've peeked my interest. We shall see what this Arc Angel of yours is capable of.", she said with a tone of finality, and with a click the scroll call ended.

Roman released a breathe he hadn't realized he was holding. Good they were safe from her. For now. Hopefully her people could actually hold off the Grimm this time and they were allowed to combat one of the Necromancer's apprentices undisturbed.

May be this operation would go according to plan for once.

 **X.**

 _'I suppose you could pull a move like that.'_ Sauron referenced Jaune's latest move. _'If you're a fool that is.'_

'And pray tell how me moving my calvary to attack his rear ranged unit is a bad idea?' Jaune asked as they glanced at his scroll's screen.

' _He's going to see through the feint, and counter it appropriately. You must focus your forces into one push and spear their way through his main force.'_ Sauron reasoned. Jaune would have agreed, but their opponent outmatched them in pure numbers, nearly four to one in some regards. Charging straight in with his superior troops would cause a lot of damage to their opponent, but their sheer numbers would overpower them.

'I can't do that. I don't have the forces on hand able to do that. They'll just swarm us and whittle us down.'

 _'You don't need to fight their entire army to win this battle. Their most powerful and important unit lies behind the army. If we are able to push through, we could end this battle in one fell swoop."_

'That's why I sent my calvary to hit them from the back. While my main army draws their main army's attention, they can sneak in and take out their commander.'

Sauron gave a grumble as once again Jaune found himself discussing military strategy with him. On a game of all things! They were suppose to be fun not mentally straining and making him question every desicion he made during the game.

Neither he or Sauron would admit how much fun they were having. For Jaune, he had never had someone to play his games with. His sisters found them unappealing, and none of his friends were interested in such a boring game. Sauron just found the simulation interesting. And if meant trading some strategic ideas with a surprisingly competent Jaune, then by all means. It only highlighted the fact that Sauron was indeed far superior in everything compared to the young mortal. As expected of course.

However their game time was cut short as they heard the voice of the matriarch of the Arc family ring through the house.

"Time for dinner! Now get you asses down here before it gets cold!" The voice of Savannah Arc called out from the dining table from below. Both of their connected minds were immediately pulled from the throes of the game and instead they were focused on a more tantalizing target. Food.

The Blade of Winter wasn't that good either way. From Jaune's experiment from the game she must be really intelligent and talented, but she was completely unfamiliar with the game of War for Remnant. Had she familrized herself with the game, perhaps she could have stand a chance against them.

 _'You could use that reasoning for the world. No matter how much talent or intelligence you may possess, if one does not know how the world works, then they will lose.'_ Sauron said as they watched as Jaune's Calvary tear through her rear unit. She did have some reserved units to guard herself, but they only managed to slow down their charge. So victory was theirs and their reward was dinner. Hurriedly he pocketed his scroll and headed down stairs, where with out a doubt the rest of the family would have beaten him down there.

 **.**

Several thousand miles away, in the winter stronghold of Atlas and its capital was a very annoyed Winter Schnee.

 **.**

Dinner itself was a spectacle. Big ceramic pots were full of creamy soups of potatoes, highlighted by fresh vegetables, and delicious, fatty bacon. Mountains of steaming spaghetti noddles, armored by a thick sauce of tomatoes and grounded meat. There were several platters where a thick piece of flank steak sat, grilled intensly and glistening with its juices. Side dishes of pearly white grains and buttery smooth mashed potatoes paired well with the dinner.

There was no conversation going on in Jaune's head, just mutual enjoyment of good food. Jaune greedily tore into a hunk of a flank steak, the thick meat being crushed and rended by his teeth. Sauron merely analyzed the food, savoring ever parcel of it, and categorizing every delectable thing about it.

In his previous states of being taste had never been something he had dealed with. As a Maiar, setting was not a nessecity, so Sauron hadn't done so. When he lost his body, and was left as the fiery eye on his tower, he really didn't have the means to eat. And when he lost a great portion of his _feä_ and was left as a living shadow, food and taste would be the furthest thing from his mind.

So when this new and sensational feeling was opened up to him, he decided to enjoy it. If there was one thing that the mortals were good at, it was the lavish attention that they presented to their palettes.

However, despite their minds focusing on the food in front of him, there was a nagging thought in the back of Jaune's mind that was disturbing their meal.

Aura.

Jaune would have to be a fool to think he would make it far into the world of Hunters without such a powerful asset. All Hunters had aura. It was their birthright to stop the Grimm, along with dust. He needed it.

 _''I firmly support that decision. We will need such a powerful advantage. It would be a great asset to our cause indeed.'_ Sauron agreed. _'The only problem is I do not own the knowledge of how to awaken our feä. Eru made it that only the mightiest and most knowledgeable could wield the power that their feäs stored.'_ Sauron said, his will and determination proving out as Jaune gulped down a sponful of potato soup, the comforting taste appeasing him.

For Jaune, the answer was quite simple. Ask his parents. They were the most senior Hunters he knew, and they had entrusted him with Crocea Mors. They were his best bet in learning about aura and how to unlock it.

"Mom? Dad?" He asked them from across the table. Thankfully he had taken a seat right across from them making the entire converstion quite easier to maintain.

"Yes dear?" His mother asked with a smile on her face. Dinner or any meal for that manner brought the best out of the Arcs. It was were there union of family was the best. More whole.

"How can I unlock my Aura?" He asked simply. His voice must have had the power of the strongest winter, because everyone froze when they heard his question.

The table stilled and silence reigned.

 _'A sensitive topic I see.'_

 **X.**

Savannah Arc's emotions changed as fast as the wind. First, she was happy, eating dinner with her boisterous family. She enjoyed the civilized conversation she had with Diamond and Beatrice. She enjoyed watching Lapis and Luli joke with Petal and Violet. Emerald would pipe in here and there between each different clique, aqauinting and familiarizing herself with each different topic and conversation.

Matthias would sit in somewhat of a solitary spot, keeping vigil over his family. Ignis Mors lay close by, the huge axe seemingly pulsing with its inner fire. A stalwart defender as always.

She will always love her family, no matter what. She and Matthias had created the perfect image that she always wanted.

Now they were all suspects. Her loving family had turned into criminals right infront of her own eyes. Beatrice and Diamond, cunning, beautiful, and oh so manipulative. They had gotten those traits from her.

Petal and Violet were even more cunning, hiding behind their jokes and gags. Make no mistake, even with Diamond as their strongest daughter in terms of being a huntress, Petal and Violet were no slouches either, especially with Iustum Mors and Reliquit Mors by their sides. Twin blades that doubled as powerful revolvers.

Emerald held ties with all of her siblings. Her information gathering was impressive, and with her weapon, Volantes Mors, a bow that doubled as a curved sword, she was capable of doing the crime.

Lapis and Luli, as young as they were, held a certain conniving to them.

Any one of her daughters could be guilty of the crime. The crime you may ask? Telling Jaune about Aura. And if he knew then her youngest Lapis and Luli must know. It was supposed to be a surprise for them!

Aura for the Arc family was a traditional affair. It had their family rituals and beliefs entwined into it. It was supposed to be a magical experience for the children that hadn't known about the power that their own souls had. And the dangers that came with it.

Now that experience had been taken from Jaune. The lessons, the fun they were going to have as they taught him about their bigger world. Perhaps that was her own fault then and not her daughters, for waiting as long as she did, but they had to be sure that the path of a warrior was what Jaune truly wanted.

But still how did he find out about Aura? Normal schools didn't cover the topic. She had made sure about it. Maybe Jaune had gotten curious on why most of his family were so strong. Maybe he had looked it up?

Or maybe that _girl_ had spoiled it for them.

Oh that girl thought that she could take her baby boy away from her by seeding doubts into his head? No. Not on her watch.

No matter the cause, however, she needed to answer her son in the most appropriate manner possible for this situation.

"Jaune. We will talk about this later.", she said firmly. Perfect response.

"But I-"

"We will talk about it later Jaune.", she repeated. Her son was immediately cowed by her harsher tone and swiftly returned to his meal. The rest of the table continued their ongoing conversations, albeit far more tensed.

With that disater averted for now, Savannah couldn't help but feel dread churn her stomach. She would need to accelerate her teachings of Aura for Jaune as fast as she could. She would have to start tomorrow.

 **X.**

Jaune quickly fastened the last buckle of his armored coat, feeling safe in its warm and heavy confines. There was something in the air that didn't sit well with him or Sauron. Or perhaps he was still in a bad mood from how dinner had played out.

His mother had shut him down immediately after he asked his question. She continued to shut him down throughout the course of the meal, leaving him in a brooding mood. They had hidden aura from him. They didn't think he was ready for it.

 _'Can you blame them?'_ Sauron inquired and Jaube couldn't help but grit his teeth. He wasn't that weak anymore. He wasn't that naive anymore either. Hell, he was hearing voices in his head, curtesy of an eons old Dark Lord.

Jaune released a sigh of exasperation. A lot had changed in a week's time. His dreams, the way he thought, the way how he saw the world. All of it had changed.

There was a tense silence within Jaune's room and mind. Only the occasional clink of him putting on his armor could be heard. Then with the air, came a burning icy presence that sent shivers down Jaune's back.

 _'Do you feel that?'_ Sauron inquired as another coil of discomfort rolled through Jaune. He could only give a grunt in response as he fastened a shin guard to his leg. The cold metal freezing and lifeless despite the jeans he was wearing. It did however give him a layer of comfort that he could not describe, but he was protected.

Crocea Mors leaned against his bedside and his helmet was in his lap. He was ready for anything at this point, and judging by the noises coming from the rest of the Arc mansion, the rest of his family could feel the ominous feeling. Something bad was coming. They could all feel it.

 _'Concentrate. Let us feel where this threat comes from.'_ Sauron said and he could feel another wave of the ominous feeling wash over him. Jaune took a deep breath and allowed his body to relax, despite the hibernating chaos that filled the air.

'What do I do?' Jaune asked his more knowledgeable soul sharer.

 _'Close your eyes and reach out to the feeling. Together we shall trace its origins.'_ Sauron said simply. _'Trust me on this. Something is coming.'_

Jaune mentally agreed and closed his eyes. When he closed his eyes like this, the connection between them got stronger. Ironically, Jaune 'saw' more when he closed his eyes.

 _'Concentrate. Let me see the world.'_ Jaune breathed, and his mind stilled. He focused. And focused. And focused. And he fell.

Through brain, and flesh and bone, Jaune and Sauron fell. Through time, stone, and space they fell. Eons passed by their eyes in the spans of seconds.

Life and death fused together to make an amalgamation of anomalies that spanned history itself. And through it all Jaune and Sauron endured.

And finally, when the Sun had cooled and was reborn as a second moon, and the original moon was embed with its fire and was birthed as a star, did Jaune open his eyes.

It was dream like. Shimmering, distorted, yet perfectly clear. The world bent and twisted yet remained rigid in formation.

 _'I did not expect for our concentration to lead us through such a...dramatic event. Rest assured this will only be temporary. We must find the source of such an ominous force.'_ Sauron explained. Jaune remained silent as his head continued to spin from such a dizzying display of the unknown.

 _'Currently you are, as you mortals say, disembodied. And you will remain like that until we found what we are looking for.'_

Jaune only nodded as he moved around. It was like he was walking, but with no legs. He could feel himself moving, just with out the means of doing so. The world was a blur of greying material and thin trails of misty blue that hung in the world. But it was familiar. He knew this place.

 _'I would hope so. This is, in fact, your room. Just from a different perspective.'_

Jaune only nodded as he reveled through such a bizarre plain of existence. But he could sense something. Dark and wet.

 _'There it is. Follow it and we shall see what the cause for this disturbance is.'_ Sauron commanded, and a Jaune began to move in the direction of the source. The world blurred once again, a tunnel of rushing grey and stagnant blue. But it was quiet, harmonic at that. Yet, the feeling of unease grew stronger.

Jaune had no idea how long he had traveled through that verse of reality, but he stopped when he felt the unease threaten to smother him. The plain of existence they were in was maddening and enlightening at the same time. Understanding went in one ear and confusing went into the other.

Had it not been for Sauron's presence, Jaune would have gone mad a while ago.

Such is the existence of this perspective. How Sauron knew about this place and withstood it, would bolster Jaune's respect for him. Jaune at this point, just gave up trying to understand the place, and it was like someone flipped the light switch. The world cleared. No longer was it distorted and ghastly and utterly maddening. It was different though. An eternal pigment of gray covered the area, and a chill ran through the area.

 _'I'm actually impressed whelp. You found out how to exist in this place.'_ Sauron commented as Jaune reoriented himself.

'Where are we?' Jaune asked, noting that even though he had thought the phrase, that he could hear it echo through out the area.

 _'This is just a different way of looking at the world. We actually haven't moved from your room. You're just looking at it the way I used to.'_ Sauron explained. _'This way of seeing the world would have driven most men insane. Only certain elves and the higher beings, such as I, can look at the world for what it truly is.'_

'Is it supposed to be all grey and eerie?' Jaune asked as they continued forward.

 _'Well. Yes and no. For me, the world looks completely different. But, as a mortal, your eyes can't fully comprehend what they are seeing, so you are left with the bleakest of looks. However, this way of seeing the world and keeping you sane is draining my strength. We must hurry.'_ Sauron urged, and Jaune nodded in agreement.

They did not have to look long. In fact, it was quite easy to find.

It was an ugly sight. From what Jaune could make out from the world, they were slightly outside of the walls of Canvas and in the deep forests that separated Canvas from other towns and cities. The ancient fortress of trees, shrubbery, and flora remained familiar, yet it still held an air of strangest.

However, something was tarnishing the serenity that the forest had. The cracking of dead tree limbs, and of dead leaves echoed. Shuffling patterns of foot falls sounded out, unorganized and slow.

 _'What have you mortals done?'_ Sauron hissed as they observed the obstruction in front of him. It was a wire frame of an inky, dirty mess. It sprawled through out a moving body, which was a bare outline of black, writhing, living, and being in a state of absolute wrongness.

There was so many of them as well. Hundreds of shuffling bodies. Shades of the living, but infested by networks of the greying liquid. However, Jaune realized something quite terrifying. Most of the bodies were not whole.

The shady outlines were missing entire limbs. Their outlines were bulging, lacking, and uneven. Limbs were gone, and for some they were merely crawling, their legs gone. They were staggering about, not within the normal movement of a living human beings, but as if they were being controlled like a puppet with strings.

 _'They are not alive.'_ Sauron said, horrified and angry.

So they were dead.

 **Dead**.

Jaune snapped his eyes open with a lurch and his head rang with an unfamiliar noise. Sauron himself was groaning with pain as they were violently jerked back into their original reality, and found Jaune sprawled on his bed, a dazed look to his eye. He felt sick in both his stomach and his head, and he took several moments to just lay back so he didn't throw up all the precious food in his belly.

'Never again.' Jaune groaned as he held his stomach, and despite the coating of metal separating his hand from it, but it did bring him a measure of comfort for him.

 _'I will admit I should have taken account that you are mortal. The negative effects seem to be transferred to us it seems.'_ Sauron said, as the discomfort washed away from them, though the level of ominousness still hung in the air. _'We will have to use that more sparingly, I don't think I can keep myself there and you sane for very long.,_

'What was that?' Jaune asked as he finally sat up, his armor rustling.

 _'That was how the some of the old spirits sometimes see the world. It's how I used to see the world, before our feäs became one.'_ Sauron said. _'But we have more pressing matters on hand. I presume you saw what was causing the disturbance._

'Yeah. It felt weird. It felt wrong.' Jaune answered honestly. He still shivered imagining the, murky web like structure of the unknown.

 _'Exactly. That wrongness is the result of you mortals tampering with the dead. Something that should never be attempted. And I fear its moving this way. We must ready ourselves immediately.'_ Sauron warned. Jaune silently agreed and holstered Crocea Mors onto his belt. His helmet clicked onto place on his head, and he raced towards his bedroom door. But before he could reach it, the entirety of the Arc Manor shook. A loud rumble permeated the air and the ground quaked.

Jaune, instead of heading out of his room, raced to his window and in the distance he could see a column of smoke rise into the air. It was dark, some how darker than the night sky, and beneath it was an orange layer of glowing light.

 _'It has begun.'_

The door of his room was ripped open and his mother hurriedly entered. Argentum Mors hung off her hip and she too wore her combat armor. Lapis and Luli followed her in, practically glued to her sides, fear obviously over taking them. They rushed over to Jaune, who knelt down and gave them a quick hug, before he stood back at up to greet his mother, who began to examine him with dagger-like eyes to make sure that he was in one piece.

"What are you-" She shook her head and passed over the fact that he had found himself some really nice armor. "Jaune, we need to go now. Help me with your younger sister. We're going into town for the evacuation. Stick close to us, and make sure to watch over your sisters.", she said firmly, and her body was composed and tense. Yet despite that, Jaune could clearly she was just as scared as they were. His mother turned on her heel to walk out the door, but Jaune stopped her.

"Wait.", Jaune said, his voice just as steely as hers. She turned sharply, and her expression was completely serious. Lapis and Luli stared at him in shock, especially at the fact that he had used such a tone of voice. Toward their mother no less.

"I need you to unlock my Aura.". he said, his voice as sharp and sturdy as Crocea Mors, sheathed and hanging off his hip. Sauron only grumbled in approval at Jaune's initiative. It was essential that he got his aura now, before they went out into the unknown.

"Jaune, I said we would talk about it later, now we got to go." She pleaded, her voice like a dagger against Jaune's resolve. He stood strong, however. This needed to be done now.

"No, Mom. I need my Aura now. I don't want to be useless when we get out there.", he reasoned. Be it an attack done by bandits, Grimm, or something else, he would need his aura if he wanted any chance at helping out there.

"Jaune, this isn't some silly bedtime story. There will be no heroics here. None of us are fighting when we get down there. We're just going to make it to the evacuation ships as fast as possible.", she countered back, her voice getting louder by the second.

"You don't know that! What happens if we get separated? What happens if someone attacks us?" Jaune noted how much his mother's facade cracked at him listing the very possible scenarios that could happen within the chaos out in the main village.

"The rest of the family will protect you. Your father and I are experienced. We've killed before. We'll always keep you safe.", she declared with a determination as strong as her weapon's metal. Jaune slightly flinched at how strong his mother's devotion was to them. And he believed her. He knew that she and his father would be doing their absolute best to defend them. Even if that meant killing.

His sisters wouldn't be sitting around, either.

But Jaune didn't want to be stuck under their shadow anymore. He wasn't a naive little boy, who believed in saving the damsel in the dragon. He had grown up. Not by much. But he had problems that no could ever think of having. He knew how to swing a sword. He had heavy armor and he had a great Maiar has a soul partner.

His determination for this strengthened him. Sauron's desire for power fueled him. He was focused. And so strong was his focus, he ignored the fact that another rumble shook the house, and that the deep roar of an explosion filled the air. Lapis and Luli cowered and his mother could only stare at him and past him, at the dying explosion.

Her fortitude on the situation was faltering quickly. She just needed a little push.

That came in the form of a siren that penetrated the air.

The Grimm warning. The monsters of extinction were heading towards Canvas.

Finally, his mother conceded and she moved swiftly towards him. "We got to make this fast. And I'm sorry Jaune that you had to have your Aura unlocked like this. This was supposed to be something special for you. There was supposed to be a party to celebrate you unlocking your Aura, not this.", she said sadly, and Jaune felt his own heart clench.

 _'Not now Jaune. We can celebrate later. Now, power.'_ Sauron said eagerly.

His mother gently placed a hand over his heart and his cheek, her eyes closed. A sheen of silver glossed over her, and he could feel his heart beat rapidly.

 _ **'For that it is in passing that we achieve immortality.'**_ She chanted. And Sauron and Jaune both felt power flow through them. It was blazing hot, yet it filled them with familiar warmth, rather than burn them.

 _'What is this? Our fea is being unleashed?'_ Sauron said in awe. Her words were like keys, that coaxed the gate way of their soul to open. Already Jaune's body began to admit a white glow. Harsh gold, and soft blue intermingled and latched together, creating a sheen like that of a star.

 _ **'Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all.'**_ She continued, her voice like steal. Jaune's and Sauron's soul unleashed more of its latent power, the soul gate half way open and so close to unleashing the full strength of their soul.

 _ **'Infinite in distance and unbound b-'**_ And suddenly her voice was stopped. Her chanting, the key to unlocking his soul, stopped, and the soul gate slammed closed. Immediately, what of their soul that remained in their body began to fester.

Another, much more powerful explosion shook the world, and the glass from Jaune's window shattered, raining down glass on everyone. Luckily, Lapis and Luli were shielded by their mother, who's own Aura flared to life. The shattered glass fell off her skin, doing nothing but just activate her shielding. However, in the process of protecting her daughter, she had stopped the process of unlocking her son's aura.

Something that had never happened before.

His body burned from the flames of his own soul, and both he and Sauron roared in pain. Lashing tongues of white, blue, and gold flickered from his skin. His entire body had become an anomaly of aura. It was both killing and healing his body, destroying him yet re-birthing his flesh in a never ending cycle. His armor and clothing felt like the walls of a furnace, with starlight leaking out of it.

"Jaune!" His mother cried in worry, and frantically re-positioned her hands on his body and began to chant again, ignoring as Jaune's premature aura assualted her her own. It felt like she was placing her hand on top of a roaring fire.

 _ **'Unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder I protect thee.'**_ she finished, her voice quick and precise, and her own aura blazing. The soul gate with Jaune flew open and the power of his soul that radiated through his body finally stabilized.

Jaune let loose a gasp and felt relief as the pain finally subsided. His legs trembled, and he buckled, only to be supported by both of his little sisters, who could only stare at him in shock and worry. Thankfully his body no longer burned, and the lashing fire of his souls was clenched.

 _'Our feä has been unleashed. It resonates within us, like fire clinging to every cell. It protects us and heals us.'_ Sauron whispered in awe, still drained from such an intense and painful experience just moments before. But even his exhaustion could not hide the excitement with his voice. Such a thing had never been exposed to the old Maiar, and it was full of experiments, ready to test the very limits of what their soul could do.

'Its strange.' Jaune commented as he flexed his hand which was coated by a layer of white, ethereal energy, that seemed slowly receded back into his skin. He could feel it course through him, like ropes of fire that was ready to burst any second. Slivers of it integrated within his body, pulsing his souls through his body.

"Jaune, are you alright?" His mother fussed over him, although she seemed far more tired.

"Yeah, it was just...weird.", Jaune admitted as the dulling pain vanished. For the chant to stop, it had tampered with the unlocking of his Aura, and Jaune had a nagging feeling that something would be a product of that.

"I would expect as much. No one's ever down that during the unlocking of their Aura. Then again, no ones ever stopped the chant.", his mother said, her voice still full of worry. "We can worry about it later. We have to go. Now.", she said loudly.

Jaune didn't have a reason or the strength to argue with her.

'Was this what Roman was warning us about?' Jaune thought, as he shepherded his shivering sisters to follow their mother and another explosion rocked the world.

' _Perhaps. But I am far more interested in the changes the unleashing of our feä has done to your body. It is quite new and very intriguing.'_ Sauron said. _'It's as if our feä has become one with our flesh. It's as if it is both meat, bone, and the flames of our feä. It just waiting for the right...trigger, to draw it forth.'_

'What will happen when it does activate?' Jaune questioned as they rushed down the Arc Manor's hall way.

 _'It depends. Our body may not be able to hold its power, and it may burn us like it did before, perhaps make itself a weapon we can use. The possibilities are possibly limitless and could be a great advantage for us. I already can feel the shielding that coats us. This Aura will be an incredible asset.'_

They hurried down the stairs, where the rest of his family was waiting. All of them were armed and armored. From the menacing and protective figure of his father, who held the great axe Ignis Mors on his shoulder, to the nervous Emerald, who cutched Volantes Mors in shaking hands and had a quiver full of arrows strapped to her back. His family stood ready to evacuate, with Diamond and Beatrice passing back packs full of supplies to each member of the family.

His father eyes narrowed as he watched Jaune come down the stairs, especially at the armored cloak and helmet that he wore. He didn't say anything however. None of them did. It was obvious that all their focus was on escaping. They would question him later.

"When we head out we stay together. No one is a hero today. We move fast, but leave no one behind. The evacuation center will be on the south side of Canvas, if we run we'll make it there in twenty minutes. Understood.", Matthias Arc, patriarch of the Arc family, said firmly.

All he received were nods.

"Good. Now let's go." And with a mighty heave he tore open the main door of the Arc Manor and the family descended into a world of chaos.

 **X.**

The town of Canvas, once peaceful and brimming with the commodities of a normal life, was now the picturesque form of chaos and the failing of society.

Great spire of flames and smoke rose into the sky of the setting sun. The screams of fear and pain rang through out the town as the Arc Family fled down the street. Buildings had been torn apart by the explosions and the fire and the road was littered by debris, bodies, and other disgarded objects.

Already other families and citizens of Canvas had banded together and were funneling their way to the evacuation site, either going ahead of the Arc family or plainly tagging along for the safety provided by being around a family of Hunters.

Emrergency forces were practically swarming the streets, either medical or part of the local defending milita, guiding and corralling the fleeing population towards the Bullheads that were charged with ferrying the populace to safe zones and other secured towns and cities.

The milita stood ready, armor gleaming and heavy assault rifles ready to rend the flesh of Grimm. Militia Hunters also stood by, bizarre butdeadly weapons ready to be deployed at any second. The sirens warning Canvas of the arrival of Grimm, still blazed in the sky along with hum of revving engines of the evacuation ships.

Then everything tensed.

Rifles came up, the crowd was becoming even more frantic, and the Arc family froze. Jaune unconsciously gripped Crocea Mors and he could feel Sauron's vision sharpen.

 _'The enemy has arrived.'_ Sauron said plainly, but there was a certain edge to it. _'The entity we have encountered earlier has revealed itself. Be wary.'_

Jaune began to look it around, noticing how everyone else could feel the danger. Despite the frantic movements of the crowding evacuees, their pace had slowed dramatically. The Arc family now felt itself stranded at the back of the mob, somehow being pushed back by the pure mass of panicked people.

He looked back down the ruined street, and saw a lone figure hobbling slowly towards them. Someone must have been left behind due to an injury. Luckily, Jaune wasn't the only one to notice the straggler's plight.

"Hurry it up! The evacuation site is only a little ways away! You can do it!" One of the guards called out from one of their armored fortifications.

Jaune's eye narrowed and a smile broke out at recognizing the straggler.

'It's Sully!' Jaune thought. It was good to see that Roman's employee had made it, even though he was hurt. The Grimm must have gotten him good, evidently by the heavy strains of blood going down his rugged body.

Almost.. too much blood.

"Something's not right.", Jaune voiced, both to his family and Sauron.

 _'Indeed. He is reeking of that mortal sickness that we encountered earlier. His body is merely a puppet for its master.'_ Sauron agreed.

The husk of Sully suddenly stopped, in his limbs twitching and the gaze in his eyes empty. Then his neck snapped back, the cracking of bones prominent. Liquid began to seep through the pores of his body and from the empty bowels of his body, a loud groan sounded. It echoed through out the street, and the already fidgety crowd began to go in a frenzy, trying to reach the air ships.

And from the alleys and other roads came other shambling corpses. Even more ragged and rotted than Sully, they came in droves, possessed by evil intent. Their flesh was festering, their bodies broken and mangled, but their hands carried remnants of weaponry and their teeth had evolved into canine like cutlery.

"Hey! Stop!" A panicked guard yelled, ass more of his brothers in arms joined him, with fire arms raised and trained on the approaching mob.

They did not listen.

"Stop or we will shoot!" He threatened, quickly losing his wits at seeing the corpse like bodies shamble their way towards them. Jaune drew Crocea Mors, and the old sword and shield sprang to life. His father, mother, and his older siblings quickly drew their own weaponry and pushed Lapis and Luli behind them.

The flesh puppets marched on, grotesque flesh and rotting sinew falling to the ground, and being treaded on by the marching of the mob. Their maws hung open, ready to devour, and their broken weapons still craved for blood.

To make matters worse, a loud piercing cry echoed into the setting sun's sky. Howls like the din of storms filled the sky. The crowd only screamed in fear, and the howling only grew more powerful, fueled by their fear. The Grimm had found them.

And they were hungry.

"Shit! Alexander! Take your Hunters and stop them. Me and the boys will deal with this.", an armored man, most likely their superior, ordered from a top a fortified roof top. There were several noises of approval, before several blurs leaped from the rooftop, and began to spread out through the town. The armored man turned back to the mob of corpses, before with a confident raise of his hand, he signaled to fire.

"Open fire!" The militia men shouted and soon dust rounds fired from assault rifles into the incoming mob. Their rifles echoed like thunder and the projectiles shot out were like lightning.

To their horror, however, the blasting of guns did not detour the mob in the slightest. Bullets sank deep into their flesh, but they marched on, ignoring as their bodies were desecrated by dust and lead. Limbs were torn apart by the sheer power of the militia's weaponry but it did little to stop the upcoming tide.

The crowd of fleeing citizens became even more distressed, as the sounds of firearms being discharged sounded from behind them. Already with the imminent threat of Grimm, and with the unknown origins of the earlier explosions

Eventually the storm of bullets downed quite a number of mob. Either from just crippling them, or from just pumping enough dust and lead into them, that their bodies were just torn apart. However, in Jaune's eyes or to be more accurate, from what Sauron was seeing, they were merely missing the most important component.

 _'Tell them to aim for their head. Or their heart. Their weaponry is only hitting dead flesh. If you wish to silence these puppets, you must cut their strings.'_ Sauron advised.

Jaune nodded, wary of how close the mob was getting to them, and headed over to Violet and Petal, who fired precise shots from Iustrum and Reliquit Mors, the curved swords shifted into their revolver forms. However, despite their power and accuracy, their rounds proved nigh effective against the flesh mob that was only forty feet away.

"Aim for the heads!" Jaune raised his voice, towards them. Violet's head snapped towards him her blue eyes blazing with questions. He only nodded his head in confirmation. They had to trust him on this one. Seeing his determination, and truly running out of her own ideas, Violet gave in.

"Heh its one bullet. Why not?" She joked and with a precise shot, slammed a dust round into one of the shambling husk's head. With a burst of gore and, strangely, water, the body crumpled to the ground, stilled forever. Violet's eyes widened, before with a grin began to blast more heads off of the flesh puppets. Each shot connected with a head, and each shot brought down another husk, spewing water onto the street.

Petal quickly picked up on her sister's success and quickly followed suit, and soon husks were falling by the dozens, heads gone and water spewing from their wounds. The milita, in awe of the Arc twin's success allowed their rifles to be more precise and soon the mob was being whittled down, their bodies falling upon one another and into great puddles of water.

Yet even with their success at managing to effectively put them down, some of the husks still continued you to march on, and when they got close enough, they burst forward with a speed not seen, especially with the shape most of their legs in.

Matthias Arc stepped forward. The patriarch of the Arc family faced down the ever closing in mob, with eyes that blazed with blue fire. With a single, strong arm, Ignis Mors was lifted into the air, the great axe pulsing with an orange energy. He swung down with a mighty heave and Ignis Mor roared with fire. The great axe smashed into the street, cracking it with its fiery might.

Flames washed over the approaching husks, and they smoldered under the blaze. The puddles on the street began to bubble and boil from the immense heat.

Savanah Arc, strode forward, Argentum Mors split and a base in each of her hands. Like silver lightening, she blurred and soon the heads of the front row of the husks disappeared, separated from their necks with a strong slash. The Arc sisters, themselves combatted the husks, their weaponry and skills making short work of the shuffling corpses. The militia continue to fire, thinning the ranks for the defending Arcs.

Jaune, however, found himself defending the retreating crowd and his little sisters. He could feel his heart tighten, and anxiety filled him. Only Sauron's angry remarks and his own will kept him from faltering and despite his family's and the militia's valiant defense a few husks made it through, and bee lined their way towards Jaune.

His shield was raised and Jaune braced himself as a husk rammed into it. He was pushed back several inches, but he held his stance against the husk's rabidness, maw full of rotting teeth, ready to bare down on him. Jaune's felt himself buckle as fear took him, as he stared at the empty, rotting, **dead** , expression on the husk's biting face.

 _'Get this filth away from us.'_ Sauron said angrily, his disgust with creature quite evident.

With a mighty heave, he managed to push away the Husk, and with a slash of his sword, he pierced the decaying flesh of the husk. Instead of blood however, great volumes of water escaped its body. He slashed again, and its head was severed from its neck in an arch of dirty water.

Another corpse came to his right side and Crocea Mors pierced its chest. It shuddered, water spilling out of the wound, before it slumped over, unmoving. His shield served once again as a weapon as he rammed it into another approaching corpse, stalling it long enough for the Yellow Death to slice its throat. It fell to the ground, water seeping from its throat.

'What's with all the water?' Jaune questioned as his boots began to become slick from the bodily water that we're being excreted from the corpses by copious amounts. Everything associated with the mob of the husks was with water.

 _'I have a theory, but it would be ludicrous. The amount of time and power to do such would be impossible, especially for you mortals.'_ Sauron answered.

The mob itself was being drastically whittled down, a combination of the Arc family's prowess and the precise shooting of the militia. Fallen, unmoving corpses began to outnumber their shambling cousins, and the streets were becoming flooded by the profuse water seeping from the corpses.

' _Do not take too much pride from slaughtering these puppets. There are far greater threats to slay.'_ Sauron commented idly, as another duo of husks broke through the formidable defense of his family.

 _'Block first, then swing.'_

'Block first, then swing.'

They thought in unison and with a twirl of his body, closed lined the first husk that approached me him. A sickening crunch was heard, as something in the corpse's body gave and it fell to the ground. The second husk found itself even less fortunate than its previous compatriot, as Crocea Mors's Blade found itself in its chest. Specifically the ancient sword had skewered the area where a normal human's heart would be. Filthy water spewed out and Jaune quickly retracted the blade in order to finish off the original husk.

 _'That adds up to be thirty. You are doing quite well for your first combat situation. Granted, these are mere puppets, most trained individuals would find this no challenge. I was expecting far more dangerous adversaries.'_

'Be careful about what you say. Karma works in very mysterious ways.' Jaune chided. He wasn't fool enough to start complaining about the relatively easy enemies. Already he could feel his breathing become labored and he could feel some fatigue fill his body.

Their efforts however, had paid off. The mob had dwindled and had actually stopped, giving a moment of respite for the still defending militia and Arc family. Not that they needed it. Out of everyone, Jaune was the only one breathing heavily, even with the others dispatching multitudes more than him.

The evacuees had made it though. Already the dozens of air ships were in the sky, with a myriad of escorts to guard them from aerial Grimm, and the last of the civilians were being boarded. The militia themselves were falling back, eager to escape the obviously doomed town. That meant that the Arc family was free to escape as well.

"Get going Arcs! Were all pulling out! You can ride with us on the Bullheads!" Shouted the Militia commander, who with the rest of his men, began to climb down the building they were perched on.

"You heard the Commander kids. Lets go!" Matthias shouted as he picked up the terrified Lapis, while his mother picked up Luli.

They all nodded and began to bolt towards the designated evacuation zone, which was in fact located at the market place. However, before Jaune could run very far, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Nice call, little bro. Really saved our hides there.", Violet beamed down at him, and Jaune felt some pride flow into him. He also, promptly ignored Sauron's claims within his head that it was, in fact, his achievement.

"Now lets get going!" Violet said loudly as she blurred ahead of him. Jaune could only groan in disbelief as he was left in the dust with his heavy armored coat. Fortunately, his family didn't abandon him, and together they reached the market place, which had been transformed into an air field. The stalls and multiple stands had either been hastily pulled apart, or just crushed under the weight of mighty aircraft.

 _'An armored bird? You mortals have tamed some very bizarre creatures.'_ Sauron commented as Jaune followed his family, making sure to keep Lapis and Luli in front of him.

'They're not birds. They're machines.' Jaune answered, as they finally arrived at the evacuation zone. There were only a few remaining Bullheads, and one Valean corvette, but they were safe for the time being. What remaining civilians were being boarded into the corvette, while the Bullheads would ferry out the remaining Hunters

The Bullhead's engines were roaring, life spewing into them as it levitated several inches off the ground. It was already slightly filled with a few militia men, while the Commander stood by the mechanical aviator.

"Get on!. Those disgusting bastards are almost on us. Not to mention Alexander hasn't called back in.", the Commander voiced, as he pointed an armored finger towards the husk mob.

Indeed, the mob's numbers hand been bolstered and their puppet master had forced them towards their evacuation point. Within the minutes, they would be upon them. And this time they didn't have the guns nor the ammunition to take such a large force of festering flesh.

"Get on girls. Come on.", Matthias shepherded his daughters into the Bullhead, making sure to secure Lapis and Luli into their seats. The rest of his sisters filed in along with his mother, when an unearthly shriek pierced the sky.

And from the clouds above, several great shapes darted towards them, black as death and covered in bone-white armor. Extinction had taken a physical form no had come to end them. The great birds of prey, with wings almost as wide as a Bullhead seemed to darken the sky with each wing beat. Their feathers rattled, like the clanging of swords, as they sailed by. Blood red eyes peered at them, eternally hungry for their deaths.

"Shit! Nevermores! Get some cover!" shouted the miltia leader, as the gigantic, nightmarish creatures dive bombed them, with sharpened beaks and talons. The militia began to scramble, rifles firing into the sky, dust rounds pelting themselves into the thick feathers of the avian beasts.

 _'What abominations are these?! Have the eagles fallen to a darker power?!'_ Sauron exclaimed as the corpse of a Nevermire crashed into the ground, its body disintegrating into the air. Angry caws filled the air as the Nevermires continued their attack renewed.

'Those are the Grimm, I've been telling you about.', Jaune thought back as he clambered onto the still levitating Bullhead. A Warhead then lifted off the ground, its mighty armaments trained on its airborne rival. With a rev of its twin chain guns, a hail of dust bullets pelted the corrupted birds, and several them were thrown down from the sky.

Its powerful engines then propelled it forward, chasing after the airborne Grimm, making a valiant effort to clear the skies for the rest of the air ships.

His heart began to beat even faster as he watched the beings responsible into their small kingdoms bear down on them. So dangerous were they, that the very Hunters who were trained to kill those monsters feared them. The Grimm had a,ways been there to oppose them, a constant enemy of humanity that has plague them since the beginning. Or as far as modern humanity could remember. From what Jaune had learned from Sauron, the Grimm had not been around during the ages when he had been in power.

 _'Those 'Grimm' are an abomination. A mockery of life. I can feel their mockery of feä energy from here. Who ever has created these..things has made an attempt to replace the creatures of your world. Through ritual and shadow they have created these monstrosities.'_ Sauron angrily said as the Bullhead began to slowly rise into the air.

"Hang on people. It's getting messy up here!" The pilot called down as the Bullhead began to shake ferociously, making the passengers slam into the walls and each other. Jaune found himself pressed gains the still closing side doors of the Bullhead, the rest of his family had being lucky enough to buckle themselves in.

Then, quite promptly, Jaune was thrown out of the airship. It was sudden and jarring as the Bullhead had been violently thrown to the side, as if something was drastically unbalancing their airship. An angry caw sang out and the terrible screech of something scratching metal sang out. And yet his mother, always watching out for him, had her hand stretched it to him, in a vain attempt of catching him. The rest of his family were in the middle of unbuckling themselves, fear etched on all their faces.

Theri fear was contagious.

He could feel the cold dread permeate though his body as he was separated farther and farther from his family. There was a nagging voice in the back of his head, which was in fact not Sauron's voice, telling him that they were safe and he had Aura to cushion his fall. But his fear of the unknown trumped it, and he could feel Sauron's concern grow as their retreat had been cut off.

"Jaune!" He heard his family call out in fear, as he crashed into the marketplace's flooring. Even with the the rather short distance he fell, his newly activated aura, and his armor, he could feel the air in his lungs rush out, leaving him stunned and breathless.

 _'Damned beast. I am glad that we had our feä unlocked. Had it not, we would have certainly been permanently damaged.'_ Sauron said he watched helplessly as a Nevermore wrestled with the left side of the Bullhead. Had the Bullhead had any armaments, it would have made short work of the gigantic bird. However, it was defenseless.

That is until the Warhead made its presence known once again, as it went in for another fly by and gunned down the offending Grimm. The Nevermore screeched in agony as it was filled with hundreds of dust rounds, practically ripping it to shreds.

It flew overhead him, and once again Jaune was forced into the ground by the sheer power being exhirted from the massive engines of the Warhead. With a groan, Jaune picked himself off the ground, only to have something firmly grasp his shoulder.

Luckily it wasn't an enemy.

"Damn. You alright kid? Come on let's get you to some cover.", a helmeted milita man asked him, his helmet very much like the one Jaune was currently wearing. Other members of the militia came to support them, rifles and firearms being discharged into the sky, trying to aid the friendly Warhead in clearing their air space.

 _'It seems the puppets have caught up to us. Prepare yourself for battle.'_ Sauron warned and Jaune watched as some of the milita men turn their weapons upon the approaching hoard.

Jaune allowed himself to stand up and draw Crocea Mors, ready to face down the approaching husks. He was prepared to unfold his shield, when Sauron stopped him.

 _'Not now whelp. That shield will only slow you down, and I do not intend for us to be eaten by those abominations. Just use the shield.'_ Sauron instructed, referencing to the dozens of Nevermores in the air. Jaune reluctantly attached his sheathe back to his belt and took on a form with just his sword.

"Shit. Alright people, were not trying to win this fight. We just need to hold them off for a couple of minutes so the Bullhead's engines can warm up.", the Commander shouted out to the rest of his men. They only shouted "Hoorah!" in response, along with the firing of their rifles.

"Stick with me kid alright? Your parents would kill me, along with everything else, if anything happened to you.", the Commander attempted to joke to Jaune. All he could do is snort in response.

"By the way, the names Jordan. It's been an honor to fight alongside one of the legendary Arcs.", he said and with a shout he began unloading dust bullets.

Within seconds they were upon them.

Once again, they were beset by the festering husks, who at this point Jaune realized we're far more coordinated then they were previously. They didn't shamble, they full ran. Their strikes were far more accurate, and their seemed to be a more intense hunger in their eyes.

Jaune swung wildly with Crocea Mors and there was the satisfying sound of flesh being rended as one husk fell, water seeping out the wound. Several more fell, unmoving, as his fellow defenders gunned down their rapidly approaching enemies. Despite their proficiency with slaying of husks and some Nevermores, they're was no denying that they were losing this battle.

 _'Their numbers know no end. We must retreat while we can. Let the abominations fights these puppets.'_ Sauron voiced as they retreated further and further back. It came to their great surprise to see the Nevermores not only attack them, but to attack the mob. They fell upon the husks with the same intensity and hunger as they did towards them, and were capable of wiping out dozens with a single dive.

And yet, even with the aid of the still hostile Nevermores, they were being encircled within a increasingly shrinking circle. The marketplace had become to dangerous for Bullheads to land, especially with the threat of the still mysterious and dangerous husks of overwhelming the occupants of the landing Bullhead.

Not even the powerful armaments of the Warhead could effectively create a clear landing zone, with the incredible number of the rotting filling up the space almost immediately. Fortunately or unfortunately, the rest of the Bullheads had managed to take off, as well as the Valean Corvette, leaving only one available Bullhead for them to escape on.

"Come on kid! Get on! We'll make room for you get on!" The Commander called out as he jammed the the butt into an approaching husk's face, effectively crushing its skull with a satisfying snap.

 _'Fly you fool. This may be our last chance of escaping this attack.'_ Sauron urged as Jaune swung at another one's head with Crocea Mors, effectively leaving a fatal wound. The rest of the encroaching mob was cut down by rifle fire, allowing Jaune to rush towards the available Bullhead.

The ground had become slick with copious amounts of water that had spilt out of the husks that they had taken down. His armored coat itself had become soaked, but thankfully it had not seeped into his other clothing, giving him some semblance of being dry. Crocea Mors itself had become coated in the filthy liquid, droplets running down its blade as he made his way to the Bullhead along with any remaining member of Canvas's militia.

 _'I hate water.'_ Sauron growled as he was pulled into the Bullhead by the Commander. This time he made sure to buckle himself firmly within the mechanical aviator. The remaining milita were crowded in, numbering at twelve, before with a lurch the Bullhead joined the rest of the airships into the air.

He looked out the door and to his relief, saw the same Bullhead that contained his family, all who had faces of relief and tears of joy adorning them. He himself felt like crying, but pure fatigue kept him from doing anything so dramatic. Along with Sauron's burning remarks on his pitiful mortal feelings.

But they were safe. He could rest.

 _'While your performance may have not been as dazzling as the rest of your family's, you did an acceptable job. We are alive as well so there's not too much I can ask for.'_ Sauron conceded as they rose higher and higher into the sky. The Nevermores had inexplicably left them alone, possibly due to their casualties dealt by the Warhead.

'Thanks for all the help down there Sauron.', Jaune thanked his Maiar companion. 'If it weren't for you, I would have frozen up and probably would been useless.'

Sauron gave a mental snort. _'Yes, without me you most likely would have not made it out. But I accept your thanks.'_

Then, like an arrow, the same discomfort speared through them.

"By the Brothers! What the hell is that!" One of the milita men shout as the marketplace's wet floor, suddenly began to be flooded with the same filthy water that seeped out of the attacking husks of the dead. Then it began to combine.

 _'Magic. Powerful ones at that.'_ Sauron said with a hint of fear. The water was collecting. Forming. Drowning. The copses that had been attacking them had disappeared, swallowed up by the rushing water that was in their bodies

Then, the water began to rise. Not all at once, but as a gigantic spire of water, thick and spanning almost a dozen feet in length. The pillar of water was almost as big as their Bullhead.

To their horror, it continue dancing to move.

Water rushed around their airship, almost like a hand, and fear was almost as rampant as the rushing water around them. A coiling mass of physic breaking liquid. Jaune himself felt himself freeze, but he found no solstice in Sauron, who had become extremely quiet.

 _'Numenor.'_ Sauron whispered.

And the water tightened.

The Bullhead was crushed.

And Jaune saw black.

 **X.**

Savannah Arc fought. And fought. And fought. Yet she could not break the hold of her children's and husbands grasp. Why couldn't they see what she was trying to do?! Jaune was in danger and they wouldn't let go.

"Jaune! Jaune! Mommy's coming! Hold on!" She screamed as she inched closer and closer to the dye of the Bullhead. She could see him on the ground, his armor distinctive among the ruins of the crashed Bullhead. His aura was shining a brilliant white, a beacon to her. Despite the crash, he was alive.

But he was hurt.

He was in danger.

He needed his mother.

At this point she was becoming hysteric. The water had receded, revealing the disgusting corpses that had been plaguing them rousing themselves up from the ground. They were edging ever closer to him. Her baby was in danger.

Yet the rest of her family was holding her back. She could feel all their arms around her, barely holding her back as she tried to escape to the ground to save him. Did they know who she was! Did they not trust her to save her baby! Her son!

Tears were cascading down her face as the Bullhead began to edge away from the marketplace. And her fear was heightening as he saw familiar, horrifying shapes make their way towards the former evacuation zone. Grimm.

Grimm along with those husks were encircling her son's location.

"Let go!" She screamed as she tossed some of the arms off her, only for more to try and wrestle her down.

"Savannah we can't just rush in there!" She heard her husband cry. No she wouldn't listen to him. This was the same man that wanted to name Jaune, Matthias Junior.

Maybe they couldn't, but she could. She wasn't called the Silver Clock for now reason.

She breathed and her world was tinted a ethereal blue. Strength filled her and she easily pushed off the arms of her family, as they tired to restrain her. They made no attempt at stopping her. They were too slow to do anything.

Savannah leaped out of the Bullhead and plummeted down back into the ruined Canvas. Then with a grace, and a prescision that she had honed over two decades of hunting and fighting, landed on the ground and blurred her way towards her injured son. The world returned to its original state of being. Her control over time had stopped.

Not that she needed it to save Jaune. Childbirth had been scarier than these Grimm or those walking corpses.

To her mild surprise, she found that the Grimm and husks were fighting each other. Beowulfs swung their mighty claws and snapped their mighty jaws into the festering meat of the puppets. They fought back by swing their decrepit weapons and by snapping their own jaws into the shadowy flesh of the Grimm.

She did not let that bother her so. They all fell to Argentum Mor's curved blades.

It took only several seconds of fighting and running to reach the crash zone. Her heart ache don't as she saw the unmoving, mutilated bodies of some of the Canvas's militia on the ground. They had fought valiantly to defend her son and the citizens of Canvas. They deserved the upmost of her respect.

Jaune himself was still alive, evident by his still raging aura that flowed with the strength of a star. He had lost his helmet during the crash, and his armor was dented in some places, but Crocea Mors lay within its masters hold.

She released a breath before she began to pour some of her aura into him. It would help heal any internal injuries and help push any waters he may have taken in.

It took a few moments before Jaune to cough ferociously, water being violently ejected from his body. He sputtered and took large gulping gasps as he tried to sit up. She knew better and pushed him down. He needed to rest for a minute and regain his bearings. They had time at least.

Jaune and she froze, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up. She had realized that the howls of the Beowulfs had died down no they too were slinking away from the market. Even the hoard of corpses were eyeing the same direction. Even the dead could sense the presence of the being.

She could hear the foot falls of a huge beast, its echoing breathing, and she could feel the chill of shadows crawl up her arm. The matriarch of the Arc family deftly stood up dished Argentum Mor's duel blades. She could sense Jaune stand up as well, though labored, and he too drew his weapon. Crocea Mors sang as it flew from its sheathe, and the ancient shield bearing their family symbol expanded eager to meet their enemy, which galloped down a street towards them.

It was a mass of disproportionate, murderous shadow. A blight upon humanity.

A Nuckelavee.

 **X.**

Jaune found his bravado and strength was all but spent, as he stunbled back to the ground, coughing up another helping of water. He had chosen to ignore the fact that this water had been the exact same one that had oozed out of the corpses. It would do him a lot of good.

'Sauron? You alright?' He asked his mental companion as he forced himself to his feet. He was sore all over, and he was completely soaked in the vile water.

 _'I hate water.'_ Sauron growled. His voice however did little to soothe Jaune's headache, though his aura was most likely working to alleviate the pain if it was possible to do. It was a relief to hear that hi scompanion had made it through their watery ordeal.

Now, however, they had another problem.

 _Indeed we do. It seems that a demon has come to fight us.'_ Sauron answered as they stared at the monstrous beast that was rapidly approaching them. _'This creature is dangerous. It is another of those abominations, but older. More intelligent.'_

The great Grimm in front of them was like the fusion of two separate entities. The bottom half of the creature was like a horse, but who's entire snout had been converted into a skull, with layers of black flesh wrapping around. Its eyes were like molten fire, and there were several patches of its snout that flowed blood red. It's body was strong, if not completely disproportionate. It's ribs were exposed, yet its legs were long and muscled, each with a foot tipped with massive claws. Its hind legs however, were a pair of massive hooves.

Its top portion was a slim, demonic being. It had massive arms, easily the largest limbs on the being. So large were its armsthat it was being dragged across the floor, as it galloped towards them. It's chest was covered by a white plate of bone, with a red light pulsing through out its chest plate.

Its mask of white had been etched with scars of flowing red, like blood. Great curved horns protruded from its mask, and its maw was full of wickedly sharp fangs. And within its maw, behind the rows of fangs an evil fire blazed, making an ominous glow emanate form its mouth.

 _'The demon has seen combat before. I can see the arrows and spears jutting out its body.'_ Sauron said warily, and Jaune indeed could see multiple weapons had indeed been stabbed into the beast.

What a monster.

It was a demon in all sense, one that struck fear into his heart. The prime example of a Grimm, souless, and ready to end human lives.

Smaller Grimm skittered away from the behemoth, and theses ones Jaune recognized. Beowulfs, great beasts with massive claws and sharp fangs. They were a mockery of the common wild wolf, and were some of the most common cases of Grimm throughout Remnant.

 _'It seems the enemy has twisted the forms of the common Warg as well.'_ Sauron commented.

Jaune didn't have the mind to ask what a Warg was.

He and his mother had a Demon to kill.

 **X.**

Roman and Neo blurred atop the abandoned buildings of Canvas, hurrying to towards the marketplace. They had seen the gigantic tentacle of water, curtesy of the Necromancer Apprentice that they were tasked with dealing with. And of course it had to be the water puppeteer of all of them.

He had also been shown to have a strategic mind. Or whatever remnants of it remained. He had actually managed to diver them towards the opposite side of town with a larger force of their undead, making their job twice as long and difficult.

That wasn't taking into the account that the Grimm had invaded Canvas, despite the fact that their employer had promised that her people would drive the Grimm away. She must have lied about that promise, as immediately he and Neo had engaged the undead mob, the Grimm siren had gone off, warning them of the approaching Grimm.

He would have a long and serious talk with her about her broken promises.

But first came the Apprentice, who in all honesty, was not difficult to find.

They found him standing on a decrepit building, near Canvas's marketplace, watching his hoard combat Grimm and flood the marketplace with water and corpses. He wore a ragged, hooded, black robe, and adorning it were several ritualistic images and trinkets. One of his decrepit hands was held out, and his fingers, bony and white, flexed and writhed, as if he was playing with a strand of string.

"I was wondering who the Queen would send to combat me. You are not who I expected.", the Apprentice Necromancer spoke, his voice deep and altered by sometime of power or self mutilation. Roman and Neo remained unresponsive, although Neo did unsheathed her hidden blade from her parasol, and Roman's grip on Melodic Cudgel tightened.

"This little battle of ours has become far more interesting than I intended. Especially the young Arc down there.", the hooded figure referenced down in the Market place.

He felt his breathing stop momentarily as he recognized the familiar blond hair of Jaune. Hadn't he told that boy to not do anything stupid!

Roman's eyes wandered over the nearby crashed Bullhead, and he felt his heart begin to be crushed as he saw a legendary Grimm known for its capabilities of murder and destruction. His fourteen year old protégé was facing down a Nuckelavee.

And yet he did not flee. Did Jaune even know what he was facing?

"Very interesting indeed. His aura is like a star, massive and powerful. A beacon of strength of hope. He would serve the Necromancer well.", he commented as he turned to face him.

"I will be sure to pick him up after I am finished with you two. Wether he is alive or not does not matter to me. He would make an excellent puppet." The Apprentice commented as it pulled a short scythe from the folds of its robe.

"I must say that you must choose another boy for your sick experiments. That young man down there is my protégée. I've invested a lot into him, and I'd be damned if I'd lose him to one of your ilk.", Roman countered, his voice holding an unending amount of snark.

They both blurred towards each other at the same time, and with a clash of cane and scythe, their battle began.

 **Hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. Put a lot of work into and I really hope that this made it to your guys standards. I don't know about the idea, but some people have DMed me on the idea of putting Omakes at the end of my chapters. I'll give it some thought. It sounds like a good idea in all sense, but I don't think I'm capable of pulling it off.**

 **Dont forget to review either. I love reviews. I'm addicted to them. All authors are. It's like a fix for us.**


	4. The Painting is Finished

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the love from last chapter. I tired to fix up my main problem in this one. That being just spelling and grammar, but it's really hard to spot them, especially when you have such a massive wall of text to work with, but none the less I tried my best.**

 **Keep those reviews coming though! It's good for my soul and muse.**

 **X.**

 _'This situation does not look to be in our favor.'_ Sauron commented, as the melee between the puppets of flesh and Grimm raged around Jaune. Beowolfs howled in anger as husks clambered over them, biting and gnawing at them with their own jaws and teeth as well as swinging at them with whatever they had in their lifeless hands. The Grimm in return, retaliated by tearing the husks in half with their mighty claws, as well as crushing them in between their massive jaws.

Water and blood soaked their fur, which was like static darkness. Their howling filled the new night sky, and their bony armor seemed to grow whiter by the second. Peircing red eyes shone with malignancy and an animalistic cunning.

'The situation has never been in our favor.', Jaune argued, as he warily observed the demonic, unfamiliar Grimm that stood before them. He didn't need to know its name, however, to know that the creature was dangerous and fully capable of ripping him to shreds. If evidence by the way his mother stood rigid and defiant, yet with a hint of fear in her eyes.

This creature was dangerous indeed.

"Jaune stay back. I'll deal with the Nuckelavee.", his mother spoke, her voice full of calm fury. Argentum Mors glinted like shards of shimmering starlight in her hands, ready to slash and rend the flesh of her enemies.

His mother was a force to be reckoned with for sure, but even so the beast had already seen battle, of evident by the numerous weapons that protruded from its skin and back, some of them looking quite old.

"You can't take that thing on your own!" Jaune argued as he braced himself with his shield and readied his sword. Even if he couldn't properly harm the beast, he was confident in his abilities of being able to get its attention. Or get it long enough for his mother to land some devastating blows against the beast.

 _'I can not believe that you would willing make us a target. That is one of the most ludicrous ideas I've ever heard.'_ Sauron commented angrily. His statement, however, was promptly ignored by Jaune.

 _'No! I will not allow you to ignore me this time. If we face this demon, we will die. How can you not see this!'_ Sauron snarled at him. Jaune inwardly cringed, but he still stood defiant with his ideals.

'Then what do you propose I do then! Let my mom face that thing down by herself!' Janus argued back.

 _'Yes. You obviously have had no experience or training against these types of beasts. You will get us killed.'_ Sauron affirmed. _'It would seem the matriarch of your family agrees.'_

"No. Stay back. You'll only slow me down.", she said firmly. Rather promptly, Jaune's fortitude on the subject slowly died. Logic and doubt started to seep into his mind,

What could he actually do? He just had his aura unlocked not more than a hour ago, and he hadn't even killed a Grimm yet. What could he hope to do against a creature that even his mother feared?

 _'Finally seeing some logic now, are we?'_ Sauron snarked at him. He was once again ignored by Jaune.

"But if you do want to help...", she stopped for several seconds, a look of desperate reluctance etched on her face. "Keep the other Grimm and those corpses away from me. Think you can do that without getting yourself hurt?"

Jaune nodded grimly as he turned towards the still battling Beowulfs and walking corpses. Crocea Mors seemed to glint in the setting sun's light, eager to taste blood once again.

He turned back towards his mother, who only gave him a small smile in return. "You'll take care of yourself right?" He asked tentatively.

That got a small laugh out of her, and she only responded by saying, "Don't worry about me. I'm the one who should be worrying about you right now. But..." she stopped as she gave the Nuckelavee a look. "Things have changed."

And as quick as possible she swiftly turned and pulled him into a warm hug. Jaune, stunned for a few minutes, quickly returned the hug with vigor. He could feel some dampness trace over his face and he felt himself on the verge of tears as well.

 _'Why do you mortals have to be so emotional over such a situation! You may release your tears when we actually finish this-'_

'Just shut up for one moment please?' Jaune thought with force, effectively stopping Sauron's thoughts. To the Maiar's knowledge Jaune had never raised his mental voice like that in the week that they had spent together.

So the mortal whelp had a backbone after all. And Sauron would never admit that he felt something with his soul tighten as the woman offered to fight the demon. She did make some delicious food after all.

His mother pulled back with tears adorning her face. "I'll be right back okay? Don't get into anything dangerous or stupid okay?" She affirmed, her hands on his shoulders. Had he always been taller than her?

 _'That's the spine that you should have grown a long time ago. Now let your matriarch do her work. We have our own to do.'_ Sauron commanded, and Jaune hesitantly released his mother's form. She took a step back, Argentum Mors, dull and almost blunt and her eyes sad with longing.

With a deep breath, Savannah Arc's emerald eye were sharpened to gems sharper than her own swords. Her curved swords, one of the legendary weapons forged by the Arcs, responded by almost being reformed in her hands. They shined like newly polished metal, and the curves of her blade called for blood.

She turned in a quick, practiced motion back towards the Nuckelavee, who, up until this point had remained still. It seemingly had chosen to observe its prey, study them, before it attacked.

Too bad that his mother struck first.

She blurred towards the abomination of horse and humanoid. Emphasis on the part of her being a blur. She moved so fast that Jaune had no chance of properly tracking her with his eyes. It was luck that Sauron was also able to see through his eyes, but even he had trouble seeing her properly.

 _'Your mother has some magic to her. I do not know what it is though. Perhaps some type of illusionary magic?'_ Sauron guessed as Jaune stared awestruck as the primary blade of Argentum Mors flashed across one of the Nuckelavee's front legs. In response the torso that rode atop the Grimm horse swung its massive arms around itself, in a vain attempt to hit her. She merely sidestepped the massive appendage and renewed her assault against the beast, landing a deep cut against one its hind legs.

'Why do you always say it's illusionary magic?' Jaune asked, unable to look away form his mother's fight.

 _'It's the easiest answer, and the most likely one for most practitioners. However, even if she isn't weaving an illusion on her eyes, she still has some magic that either masks how fast she can actually move or she has something that deceives our eyes.'_ Sauron reasoned as Jaune's mother once again blurred, this time vaulting over the entire body of the large Grimm.

'Its like...everything else is slower.' Jaune pondered. Was his mother truly that fast?

That got a reaction out Sauron, and Jaune could feel his utter disbelief resonate through their mind and soul.

 _'Impossible. But it's the most likely answer.'_ Sauron whispered in awe.

'What? You figured out her semblance?' Jaune asked.

 _'It's a theory. Truthfully that I did not have the resources nor time to truly study or properly wield for my own. The power to use time.'_ Sauron answered, and Jaune felt some of the metaphorical cogs in his head begin to turn. He had heard something along the lines of that before.

'Like time dilation?'

 _'Indeed. One of Allfather Eru's greatest powers. Time was his, along with the art of creation. My old master told me that Eru had used his control over time to create what you see today.'_

'And you think my mom has power over time?'

 _'To a much smaller degree and only for a certain amount of time. But even still, Men have become quite strong in my absence from the physical realm. Your family alone, fights better than some elves.'_ Sauron commented as they watch Jaune's mother continue to duel with the beast.

 _'Enough looking. We have a job to do and we can talk about this later. We have our own enemies to kill.'_ Sauron noted and Jaune turned to face down his own challenge. Crocea Mors, his trusty blade, was gripped tightly in his right hand, while his left hand held a bulwark of defensive metal. His armored coat, although wet, still clung to him, giving him some form of comfort and security.

A Beowolf turned towards him, its large snout smelling him and identifying Jaune as prey. It's fangs bared themselves, most of them longer than his fingers, and it promptly tore the flesh puppet that's had occupied its attention in half. It released a loud snarl before it began to bound towards him, great, shadowy legs propelling the beast faster and faster.

Jaune's breath caught, as the Grimm edged ever closer to him. It's bone white mask seemed to glow with a pale, ominous light in the newly darkened night, and its red eyes sharpened like spears that peirced Jaune's courage.

 _'Fear is not allowed here whelp, for the greatest of the Maiar is with you. We will kill this beast.'_ Sauron spoke, his voice shaking Jaune of his fear and anxiety.

 _'Now focus. We do this together.'_ Jaune allowed himself to take a deep breath and closed his eyes. Courage welled in him, like fire, and its fiery presence aroused his soul which burned like a star.

'Together.' Jaune agreed.

His eyes opened, and the fiery sapphire that were is irises sharpened and forged to an edge that the fangs and claws that the Beowolf possessed could never hope of matching.

And together they lunged. Young man and old Maiar. Trapped with within the same body, bounded by the same soul, raced into battle.

The monstrous wolf Grimm, snarled in pain as Jaune's shield slammed painfully into its face, effectively halting the beast. Jaune, however, continued to push and the Beowolf found itself unbalanced and open for an attack. It quickly regained its footing, however, and went about on the assault, attempting to rake Jaune with its massive claws.

 _'Create an opening. Aim for a weak spot. Cut it down immediately.'_ Sauron commanded and Jaune obeyed.

A clawed limb swung to Jaune's left side, attempting to slash at him. His shield came to bear and with a mighty slam, parried the claw away. The wolf Grimm roared with anger and dove at him with its maw open and brimming with massive fangs.

Jaune's will steeled and Crocea Mors glinted malignantly.

Then, the Beowolf let out a sudden choked snarl as Crocea Mors was promptly lodged into its throat, the old blade managing to pierce all the way through its thick neck. It's massive head stilled and thick red blood slowly trailed down the ancient Arc weapon. The metal of his sword seemed to glisten even more as the blood ran down its blade.

 _'Interesting.'_ Sauron seemingly purred.

Jaune slowly retracted Crocea Mors from the Grimm's body and watched in awe as the Greta beast slumped over, a gurgle escaping its throat as it bled to death. It vainly attempted to swipe at it him with its a massive claw, and it actually tried to stand once again, only to fall over. It continued to fidget for several seconds before with a massive heave it stilled completely.

So the young knight found himself breathing heavily, alongside the rapidly deteriorating corpse of his first Grimm kill.

 _'Well done. You've taken your first step at stopping the darkness that eats away at your world. But I fear it will be a long journey.'_ Sauron commented, noting the dozens of more Beowolfs that ran around the market place.

The young knight felt like there was so much wrong with the situation. He had killed his first Grimm, a mile stone for all Hunters and Huntresses. It was the very first achievement in a long line of victories and triumphs. Usually these types of situation would have been celebrated with huge parties, to commemorate for such a feat. He remembered Diamond's party, full of high praises and undying glory within the eyes of her younger siblings.

 _'You're views on greatness is almost as foolish as you are. Almost.'_ Sauron snidely commented. _'You mortals have always had a flawed way of looking at glory and battle honor.'_

'How did we get being glorious in battle wrong?' Jaune asked.

 _'You mortal whelps always think that participating in battle, in war makes you grand and superior. Feh. War does not make one great. It is nothing more than blood drunk brigands clashing with steel armaments, while the superior beings, like me move them around like puppets.'_ Sauron said, his voice gaining a distant edge.

'So what makes one 'great' then?' Jaune asked.

 _'Why the answer is quite simple. It's victory.'_ The old Maiar responded, his tone eveidently trying to say that the answer was quite simple.

'Victory?'

 _'Indeed. Victory is what makes one great. Triumph is how you change who you truly are. May the sacrifice be blood, flesh, or souls, victory against your enemies is how you become strong. How you truly become superior.'_

'...' Jaune thought of silence as his response.

 _'And we have not won yet. Prepare yourself.'_

Jaune allowed himself to take another deep breath, allowed his nerves to calm down, before he opened his eyes and saw inded that the battle between the Dead and the Grimm were getting closer to him. He could see as dark, shadowy flesh warred against festering, rotten meat.

Crocea Mors grew hot in Jaune's armored hand and the rookie knight could feel his soul pulse within him. It strengthened him. It made him feel like fire. He could hear the screeches of the Nuckelavee behind him, obviously enraged and in pain from the bliss his mother was dealing to it.

Suddenly, one husk found its head gone, seperated from its neck courtesy of Crocea Mors. Filthy water spewed out of its neck as its body slumped over, and its corpse was used as a stepping stone as Jaune bashed another one away with his shield.

Another Beowolf charged at him, blind with bloodlust and its natural cunning overshadowed by its rage. It would prove to be it's down fall.

 _'Side step it. Then attack its vulnerable side.'_

With a quick step to the charging Grimm's right side, Jaune found himself out of harms way. He raised Crocea Mors above his head and with a mighty heave, brought it down upon the exposed and vulnerable side of the overextended Beowolf.

The sword found itself driving through the shadowy flesh of the beast like a hot knife through butter. The Beowolf howled in agony, and in its last living moments it allowed its claws to try and rend Jaune with their sharpened tips.

Time slowed down as death seamingly approached them. Those claws could punch through the thickest of armors and hulls if they wanted to, and Jaune had no doubt that they could tear through him with relative ease. Fear filled him, like cold ice until he felt Sauron's presence flourish within his head.

 _'Our feä defends us! It has become our bulwark. Our bastion.'_ Sauron spoke in whispered awe.

Jaune's aura flared to shield him from the Grimm's claws. Like fire, it surged from him and the Beowolf's limb was engulfed in its power. The claws found themselves scorched and withering from such a flame. Whatever was left from the blaze, harmlessly knocked against him and a thin film of white energy.

The Beowolf let out one last snort of annoyance before it slumped over, dead. It's claw, at this point, was nothing more than a withered limb, becoming dust to the wind along with the rest of its body.

Husks and Beowolfs turned towards him, drawn by his flaming aura like moths to a flame. His soul made physical, ghosted over him, like wispy air and thin trails of white escaped into the night sky.

His eyes were hard fire. Blue as the sky, and as sharp as his ancient sword. They blazed with a dormant, primeval power, and there was certain darkness in them, contrasting the light that naturally came with Jaune.

 _'Allow these vermin to know that they are unwanted here. I do believe they destroyed that fine establishment with that delectable starwberry elixir. It shall be avenged.'_

Jaune only grunted in response as he raised his shield and sword once again.

 **X.**

Savannah Arc allowed herself to twirl in the air as she somersaulted over the Nuckelavee's body. Thankfully, the wound inflicted on the beast by its previous opponents had effectively slowed it down, and the weapons imbedded into its body made it difficult for the beast to fully move. It sure as hell made it a whole lot easier dealing with the dangerous Grimm.

Time slowed down once again as one the massive hands of the Nuckelavee edged closer to her, almost touching her abdomen with their pointed tips. Deftly, she maneuvered out of harms way and allowed herself to reposition on the roof of an abandoned building. Had the beast been in its prime, it would have surely been able to shorten this fight effectively. But with its already wounded state, and her skills with time, the fight was on a more even battle ground.

Her control of time slipped from her and it quickly began to stabilize itself to the present. The Nuckelavee's arm sailed through the air, hitting nothing, before it fell limp to its side. It's released a hellish screech of annoyance as it once against missed its prey, and its orange tinted eyes zeroed in on her form standing above it.

It had officially recognized her as prey. Officially recognized her as its enemy.

Good. That kept it away from Jaune.

Yet, for how long could she occupy the monster? Eventually the bending of time would tire her out and she would have the bring down the Nuckelavee with just Argentum Mors alone and rusty muscles. It had been more than a decade since her last real mission, and even though she had tried her best to keep fit, there was no doubt she and her body were out of practice.

Still, she had taken her pound of flesh from the beast. It's legs were covered in deep gashes, restricting its movements harshly. Black and red ichor ran down its legs, polling on the ground beneath it in deep puddle and it couldn't willingly chase her down without stumbling. However, those wounds wouldn't last for long. It's regnerative shadow would heal it eventually, and it would be chasing her down its its previous speed.

She needed to finish it now, but the Nuckelavee had proven itself incredibly defensive, thick bone armor protecting its vital areas and its powerful arms preventing her from going into a full out assault. Bleeding it out would take time and endurance, both which she didn't have, so that left landing a fatal blow on a vulnerable area.

Only she wasn't built to cut through the thick armor of Grimm. That was more of Matthias's role. Argentum Mors, while strong, didn't have the leverage against such thick protection. It excelled at rending flesh though, but this fight required more than that.

Savannah let out a sigh. If Jaune had been here to fight alongside her, the fight would have been twice as stressful. Such a rookie, who only had their aura unlocked that day and had no formal training whatsoever, would only be a hinderance for such a fight. She had the upmost faith that Jaune would grow up to be one of the most successful Hunters out there, albeit the journey would be rough, especially since he had not previous training. But now, he had no hope of actually bringing down a S-class Grimm.

As long as he kept the attention off himself and kept the Beowolves from distracting her, they could get out of this situation without any major injuries. She also held no doubt that Matthias and the rest of her family would have the Bullhead they were riding to head back to their location to pick them back up.

Then, the collective howls of Beowolves pierced the sky. To many, the howl would mean little to nothing except that danger was near. For someone who knew the Grimm, who had studied them, there were different types of Beowolf howls. This one in particular meant that they were scared. There was a major threat to the pack.

The Nuckelavee, bound by instincts and animalistic cunning, raised its tallest head and released its own shriek into the sky. Even when there were different types of Grimm, they were all bound by the same evil that ruled them. The demonic fusion of humanoid and horse would aid its wolf brethren. It would aid them to kill Jaune.

Her breathe hitched, and she spun her head to where Jaune was supposed to be. Thankfully he hadn't run off.

Unfortunately, however, it's not like he could. Both Grimm and those disgusting corpses alike were besieging his area. And among the chaos between the two warring sides, shining like a light tower among the darkest of seas, was Jaune. His aura flowed him around him like fire, and as bright as a star.

Crocea Mors glowed in his hand, seemingly empowered by Jaune's fiery soul, and it proved its legendary status as it lashed out against Beowolves and husks. His shield was a ward against fear and physical malice, protecting Jaune from teeth and claws alike.

And yet there was something wrong. Despite Jaune's bravado, despite his impressive job at handling the C-class Grimm, there was a very prominent problem with Jaune.

His aura wasn't supposed to do that. Aura was a shield. A physical manifestation of ones soul. It was the soul's natural impulse to protects the host's body.

Jaune's shield was unformed and unstable. The soul armor itself was weak, unproperly formed. Latent energy seeped through the weak barrier and flowed around him. It seemed, however, that it was effective in burning the flesh of Grimm, and Jaune wasn't that much of a rookie to allow the slow moving husks to hit him. However, sooner or later he would burn out his aura reserves and not even his armor and shield would save him from the Beowolf claws.

Gratefully though, he had some of the biggest aura reserves she had ever seen. She hadn't said anything when she had, apparently, improperly unlocked it, since she didn't want to have the ego inducing thoughts of having some massive aura reserves to go to his head, but he did in fact of some of the largest. In fact, she would have to guess that his aura resevers were nearly four times the size of that of Matthias.

But large aura meant nothing if it wasn't properly used.

The Nuckelavee let out a horrific screech, and Savannah braced herself for its speedy assault. She would have the use the local terrain to her advantage. The beast dared not disturb the buildings, noting full well of debris or rubble slowed it down she would capitalize on its vulnerable moment.

Only that she wasn't the beast's target. It was Jaune.

The Grimm had zeroed in on Jaune, who at this point was mopping up a few husks, seeing that many of the Beowolves had become distracted with the sheer amount of more walking corpses that were filling the square. Never would have Savannah thought she see the day that the Grimm had finally fought a battle where something overwhelmed them in pure numbers.

Its great gallops filled the market with the crashes of its hooves, and the ground shook as it barreled towards Jaune. He looked up in shock and surprise and raised his shield in a natural instinct of defending himself.

He was rewarded by being slammed into a brick wall of an abandoned building, possibly the shop of a merchant, as bricks and trinkets fell from the hole he had just created. The demonic horse Grimm nickered and patiently stalked towards where it had thrown Jaune to. To her relief, Jaune stumbled out of the wreckage, stunned and obviously hurting. He was vulnerable. Her baby was in mortal danger.

It took her approximately five seconds to realize that she was racing towards the Jaune, time once again bending to her will. It would not last forever, but she only need a few more seconds. Just a few more.

Suddenly, her legs gave out from beneath her, most likely from her using her Semblance too often and too extensively. No matter, she could recover from the overusage after she got her baby out of here. Again she called upon her control of time and it bent to her will, allowing her to gain a few precious seconds of time for her to catch up with the Nuckelavee.

She could ignore the tightening feeling in her chest. Just for a few more seconds.

Her Semblance had lasted even shorter than before, but at this point she was at equal footing with the horse Grimm. Thankfully, her earlier attacks on the creature had slowed it down, and she easily over took it wth her speed from years of hunting and fighting faster Hunters and Grimm than her.

Her control of time was lost, she could no longer use it powers, her aura was too exhausted. Argentum Mors was all she needed for the rest of this fight though. Determination flooded her as she made it to him, his eyes wide with shock and hope.

Now all she had to do was stall the Nuckelavee,long enough for the both of them to make it to a roof top, and allow Matthias to pick them up.

Savanah Arc allowed her legs to push off the ground and let her fly through the air and bring down her blades, creating two, large gashes on one of its approaching arms. The large Grimm reared back in pain, and its shriek of agony was music to her ears.

She landed gracefully in front of her son, and she quickly examined him, making sure that he was alright. His aura was still alight, though the blaze from before had died down, effectively spent from protecting and healing him from the Nuckelavee's strike.

No words could be said as she looked at her son with the upmost pride. For such a nightmare of a first Grimm encounter, he had preformed exceptionally well. He had kept a cool head, hadn't overextended, and actually killed more Grimm than his eldest sister when she had gone out on her first hunting trip. Now, they had to retreat and find somewhere to hide until a Bullhead could fly by and pick them up, or for the Grimm scattered, allowing them to escape freely.

.

.

All the warning that she got was the widening of Jaune's eyes and his arm reaching out, almost like to grab her. By the time she realized the danger, she knew it was too late.

She flew through the air, numb in all areas except for a certain spot on her right side that burnt like fire. She could feel some liquid run down her side, and it took several, worrying seconds for her to properly piece together what had just happened.

She had been stupid.

She had taken her eyes off the Grimm, and it had taken the moment and used it to its advantage. Savannah Arc had committed a mistake that someone two decades younger than her would have done. Taken their eyes off a Grimm. It was Rule Number One for Hunters.

Hard bricks cushioned her flight and she slid to the ground, quite unaware of what was going on. The numb feeling was spreading, and she could feel her soul pulse frantically, desperately trying to heal her body while in the process burning itself out. Her light armor had been shredded through like tissue paper, and without a doubt would have torn her in half if she didn't have Aura.

She attempted to stand, but the numb feeling in her legs stopped from any strength from returning to them. Her fight against the S-Class and her flight to Jaune had sapped her of all her strength. Now she was the one in the danger. She was vulnerable.

Her eyes darted over to where Jaune was, finding that he was still there, ramrod straight and statue-like. He was looking at her, the expression of fear and shock plastered on it. The terrible Grimm had knocked her almost as far away as she had run to get Jaune, with a single strike. What a monster.

Said monster, was making its way towards her, its long legs patiently carrying it towards her. It had beaten her. They both knew it. And it was going to run it in her face before it killed her.

Hopefully, however, that Jaune would be smart enough and emotionally mature enough to leave her and escape to safety. In the distance, she could see a Bullhead make its way towards them. They wouldn't make it in time to save her, but they could at least get Jaune out of this hell hole.

The Nuckelavee stalked towards her, extinction made material and living, and proceeded to examine her. It's orange eyes held unfathomable amounts of malice, but there was a hint of dissapointment in its eyes. It had expected a better fight from her. Had she been in her prime, she would have lovingly given it to it. Now, the life of a house wife had rusted her skills. Just the way she had wanted.

Yet this housewife had taken her pound of flesh from the Grimm. It's left arm had been noticeably shortened, and blood openly fell from the massive wound. May the next Hunter who fought the beast capitalize on the injury she had done on it.

Its massive clawed hand raised into the air, promising death. Out of her quickly darkening vision, she could see Jaune move. Most likely his last ditched plans of heroics. He would never make it in time.

Her eyes focused as the Nuckelavee's claw descended, and strangely her semblance wasn't what made time slow down. It just seemed he really last moments were meant to be pain stakingly slow. How cruel.

And as it neared, closer and closer, as death revealed its hood to her, and beckoned her forward, light chased it away.

A star had fallen upon her.

 **X.**

 _'I told you to DODGE!'_ Sauron snarled as a trinket fell from one of the many broken shelves that had collapsed on Jaune. The knight could only groan in pain. The demon-like Grimm had caught Jaune off guard and the only thing that his mind could register was for him to block with his shield.

He was rewarded by the pained snarls of anger from Sauron and getting himself thrown through a building.

Shakily, he rose up form the ground, his body aching and he was quite sure that he was covered in a series of cuts and scratches. His armored coat had been dulled, and some of the metal playing had actually fallen off. In some areas, the tough material had even been torn and it was surprising to see he wasn't more injured than he currently was. Luckily his shield had survived the attack without so much as a scratch and Crocea Mors lay only a few feet away, halfway buried in some rubble. The gleam of its metal still remained, and Jaune promptly picked it up, only to suddenly use it as a crutch as a wave of pain and fatigue washed over him.

 _'Our feä is a fascinating thing. Not only does it protect us, it also heals our wounds. Look at your right arm.'_ Sauron suggested and Jaune took the time to marvel as a large cut on his forearm was stitched back into place by white, ethereal string. Aura was, indeed, very

And, while it was absolutely fascinating to observe, Jaune knew that they had bigger problems. Jaune allowed himself to look through the hole go had created, and through the wreckage, he could see the Grimm that his mother named Nuckelavee, stalk towards them.

 _'It is has ugly as it is powerful. Even with the elf-like combat prowess that your mother pisses and her ability to dilate time, the beast still stands strong.'_ Sauron observed as the large Grimm moved towards him. _'She has taken her metaphorical and literal pound of flesh.'_

Indeed, blood was oozing out of multiple, large gashes running along its legs, and more ran around its body. Certainly not enough to kill, but enough to slow down the beast and slow it down significantly.

However, it was fast enough to completely corner Jaune, and force him to have no viable escape routes. The horse head of the Grimm stared intently at him, orange eyes full of evil and anger. Its upper half's huge arms hung at its side, ready to tear him to shreds, should he make the wrong move.

Things were not looking good.

 _'Our best course of action would be for us to retreat. I doubt your body has the required speed and strength to fight this monster. And I doubt my own advice during battle would be able to match its cunning. Now hurry! Go further back into the structure!'_ Sauron urged, and Jaune fully intended to follow his mental companion's order. However, he couldn't. Not with his body so tired and with his aura exhausted from healing his wounds.

Then, a familiar blur entered his vision. Silver split the air, and her speed was almost unbelievable as she rushed towards them. His mother was still going strong, and by the looks of it, still capable of fighting. Her hard emerald eyes sharpened and she jumped into the air, and flew like an arrow. Then, with a twist of her arms, brought down her blades upon the unexpecting Nuckelavee's arm.

The screech of agony that escaped from the Nuckelavee pierced the sky and it stumbled back, it's shortened limb flailing madly as it reared back in pain. Dark red blood splattered onto the pavement, and the separated claw, began to quickly disintegrate into the night, leaving nothing behind but a mess of blood and black splotches.

His mother landed gracefully infront of him, Argentum Mors coated in the Nuckelavee's blood. She looked up at him and plain relief could be seen on her face, along with a worrying amount of exhaustion. Had she used too much of her strength to save them?

 _'Controlling time is no little feat. It must put large amounts of strain on the user. Not to mention, fighting the beast before must have tired her out.'_ Sauron reasoned as Jaune stumbled his way towards her. If anyone knew how to get them out of this situation it would be her. Hope welled in his heart, and he couldn't stop from his own relief from changing his expression.

The amount of time they had to leave had been quickly shortened by the angry retaliation of the Nuckelavee. Not even Sauron could catch how fast the Grimm had move, most likely from how exhausted they had been from their last fight.

One moment his mother was infront of him, the next she was gone. It was more Sauron's vision than Jaune's own that managed to trace her movements as she was castes away from them by the wounded Nuckelavee. She crashed into the wall of another building on the opposite side of the marketplace. Judging from the way she made no attempt at getting back up, it either meant that she had been knocked unconscious or she was incapable of moving due to injuries.

Both were terrible situations with terrible consequences.

The Nuckelavee gave Jaune a look, before it turned towards where it had knocked away his mother. It began to stalk towards her, leaving a trail of dark blood, and its great legs began to cross the distance quite easily. It clearly intended to finish off the bigger threat, even when she was incapable of movement.

 _'This is our chance! We can flee and get to safety!'_ Sauron urged. While it did cause a painful tightening in his _feä,_ Jaune's. Other's sacrifice would be essential if they were going to flee from the beast and get themselves out of the town safely.

Jaune's legs buckled as they carried him forward, his aura fluctuating and tightening as the improperly unlocked soul worked to fix, strengthen, and heal his body. His legs felt like they were weighed down by lead, and Jaune could barely lift Crocea Mors, instead opting to just allow the tip of the blade to scrape the ground.

Yet, despite how tired and hurt he was, he didn't care. Only one thing was on his mind. He needed to get to her. He needed to save her.

 _'What are you doing you fool?!'_ Sauron snarled. _'We can't save her! We don't have the speed nor the strength!'_

'We got to do something!' Jaune reasoned back as he practically dragged himself towards his mother. The Nuckelavee had luckily decided to take its time as it walked towards his mother. But it's lack of speed meant nothing if Jaune couldn't catch up to it.

 _'And what do you plan to do! The beast is too strong for us!'_

'We don't need to kill the Nuckelavee. We just need to save her.' Jaune responded, his voice gorged with conviction and determination. His legs continued to push him forwards, his aura pumping strength into them and at the same time healingthe various bruises and cuts that ran across his body. There was too much on both there minds to notice the trail of blood that was quickly thinning behind them.

 _'You're not strong enough to save her! You do not possess the power, nor the fleetness of foot.'_

'I know that.' Jaune said, his voice serious and steeled by acceptance.

 _'What?'_ Sauron asked, plain bewilderment evident in his voice.

'I know that I'm not strong enough to save her.'

 _'Then what was your plan then fool?! If you know your own limitations, and how they fall short, what could you have foolishly hoped to happen?!'_ Sauron snarled.

'I'm not strong enough to save her alone. But together we are.'

 _'This again? I agreed to be more civil towards you mortal, but I did not agree to give you my feä.'_ Sauron snarled once again.

'You don't have to give it to me. You just gave to share it. It's not like you have a body to use it with.' Jaune said, his voice patient and collected. His legs buckled once again and he had to prop himself up with Crocea Mors to stop himself from falling down completely. The trail of blood that fell unnoticed by them thickened slightly.

 _'And what would that help you with? Make you stronger? It wouldn't it would just be excess power. Only I can use to its fullest capabilities.'_

'So you're going to just let her die?!' The knight asked angrily.

The Maiar remained silent for what felt like an eternity. _'While it does pain me to do this, her sacrifice would distract the demon long enough for us to retreat to safety.'_

'No. I'm not doing that.'

 _'Your blasted morals will get us killed!'_

'Yeah, they will. Unless you help me get to her.'

 _'Will logic ever be understood by you! I can't just give you my feä, fool! It is mine and mine alone.'_ Sauron angrily shouted.

'Then don't give it to me. Instead let me use some of it.' Jaune answered, his mental voice pleading yet firm.

 _'What?'_

'You don't have to _give_ me your soul. You can let me borrow it instead. It's still yours.' The young mortal reasoned with the primeval god. In reality, his eyes had glazed over and his perception had become lost. Yet in his mind, he found himself staring at the menacing, imposing, terrifying, unyielding form of Sauron.

Obsidan plates covered his imposing figure, and his helm peered down at him, devoid of anything resembling emotion. Behind him was a cascading river of shadow, with tints of orange and red swirling around, that clung to him like fire. A mace larger than his physical body was hanging from his side, seemingly dripping fire and blood.

Jaune himself, allowed his own soul fire to wreathe around him. Flaming coils of pure white cloaked him and his own sapphire eyes glanced back up at his mental companion.

 _"And what would you give? What could be worth as much as using my feä?"_ The old Maiar questioned, his hands gesturing to his half of their soul, a powerful and rich gold. It was deep in power, a gift and testament to his creation from the old God of the old world.

"I mean I guess it would be equal if you could use my as well.", Jaune responded easily, and the soft blue of his own soul ignited with power, heeding its masters call. Though, it seemed tired, yet its flame blazed, stalwart and unyielding despite his spent it was. It's uses hadn't been mastered yet, and the constant use had it strained, but it would remain strong and a blaze. Just like its master.

 _"To be clear, I do not approve of this foolishness. You would get us killed if it weren't for me. You know this right?"_ Sauron said as he handed his mortal companion a sphere of golden fire. Sauron's natural darkness and shadows seemed to calm and grow weaker in the presence of his soul.

"Yeah I know. But that's why I have you right? That's why they put us together. We can't do it on our own. But together...'Jaune trailed off as he accepted the sphere. Strangely, despite how different it was from his, it felt no different from his own soul. But he thought nothing about it at the moment. He allowed himself to concentrate before he slowly began to push it into his chest, taking note of the long tether of energy that clung to the sphere, even as his body accepted it.

 **X.**

In another plain of reality, far beyond the grasp of Sauron and Jaune, an ancient being snorted in amusement. It had been a long time since it had been born, and it had long forgotten its names to the ocean of eons that had passed since its age of reign. Other Gods and Rulers had followed it its wake, and it found itself enjoying its reign of retirement. Its soul had already been spent on the creation of the world and the universe, and it had been rewarded with a peaceful passing into oblivion.

That didn't mean it could have its fun though.

It seemed that Jaune Arc had been the best choice for the situation indeed. His growth into the current age's salvation had begun splendidly. He was growing as a person and a warrior and hiscunning was also showing, as he managed to trick the greatest of the Maiar in a useless trade.

Of course he would barter off the usage of his soul. What was his was Sauron's already and vice versa. They shared the same vessel after all. The same soul.

Sauron himself was finally seeing the world for what it had intended for it to be. It was a beautiful place, full of danger for sure and it's fair share of dark spots, but it was a place worth to live life. And perhaps it had been the entity's fault for Sauron's situation. It should have stopped its older child. It's older creation. Should have, but didn't. And for this folly it had condemned so many, many of which who were too young to experience the world it had created.

His prodigal creation had already been castes down to the Void, and it could feel a longing in its ethereal heart at the prospect of one of its creations out of its reach. But it must be done. Morgoth, or Melkor as some people called him, had to be punished.

The Maiar had already paid his punishment, eons upon eons of waiting in the void, and it was time for him to experience life differently. His corruption by his own love for order and by Morgoth, had taken much more from him than he thought. Sauron could not even remember the name it gave to him.

The road to save their world wouldn't be easy for the both of them, but it had the upmost faith in their abilities. Already the Maiar was showing growth in allowing Jaune to trick him. In allowing for the partner ship between the two to grow.

Yes, it would be very interesting indeed, and hopefully it could stay a little whole longer to see how they turned out.

 **X.**

Jaune's eyes refocused and they narrowed dangerously as he observed the still moving Nuckelavee. It was almost upon his mother, who had made no attempt from moving from her position. He needed to move now.

His soul, bolstered by Sauron's own, blazed with its previous blaze and drive. His body lightened up, and the dull ache that emanated from his wounds disappeared for the time being. Strength returned to his legs and he pushed himself forwards, braking into a hasty run.

And despite that he still wasn't going to make it.

 _'Your mortal shell impedes us.'_ Sauron said angrily.

Jaune could only quicken his pace, his body already burning with exertion. His aura began to leak from his skin, coating him in white fire. It blaze and began to eat away at his flesh in a painless process, which in turn created a stronger blaze.

 _'What is this? Jaune, what are you doing?'_ Sauron's genuinely worried question fell upon deaf ears.

The knight's body was slowly being replaced by a great white blaze, flesh and clothing disappearing into the fire. Then with a great flare of burning, wispy white, Jaune's body was substituted by a stream of white flame.

It coiled around in the air like a snake, trails of ethereal energy trailing its fiery, white core. Then with a burst of speed, it streaked through the air like an arrow, the flames and other aura energy funneling behind him, similar to that a meteor sailing through the atmosphere of their world.

'What is going on!?' Jaune asked, filled with fear, awe, and questions.

 _'I told you our feä had become one with your flesh. I'd assume thats where the durability of those with theirs unlocked came from. However, I suppose ours had integrated with yours far more than I expected. No matter. This is your chance! Go!'_ Sauron urged.

'Right.' Jaune agreed, and he bolted towards his mother, no legs or any other limbs propelling him forward. Like a comet, he sailed through the air, a crashing sphere of white fire and smoke.

Within several, fast paced seconds he had reached, completely avoiding the Nuckelavee in the process. His ethereal form warped around her, encompassing her in tendrils of warm fire, before he whisked them away, narrowly avoiding the crashing claw of the Grimm. The elongated limb effectively tore through the brick wall that she had crashed into. The crashing and crunching of breaking bricks filled the air, along with the terrible grating noise of sinking concrete. A screech of irritation escaped the wounded Grimm as, once again, its prey escaped from its grasp.

Jaune allowed his fiery form to ascend to the roof of another building, the strength of his blaze sputtering. With a final push, he reached the top of three story building, which he recognized as one the department stores that his sisters adored to go to.

He landed on its roof with an explosion of white mist and fire, his physical form appearing within the quickly disappearing haze. It was untouched and unburnt, as if being eaten by his own soul fire had not just changed his form completely.

Gently, he laid down his wounded mother, careful to not touch nor aggravate the wound on her right side. It was a lethal mark upon her, but her aura was gently stitching and healing the area where the Grimm had hit her. It would take time for her aura to completely stop the bleeding, but at least she was alive. He gently leaned her against the roof top enterance, and he ripped a portion off the end of his coat and quickly made a make shift bandage around the wound. It would help stop the bleeding and hopefully keep infection from setting in.

The young knight stood up, his first objective completed with victory. His mother was safer and she a shield alive. Pride swelled in him, along with a sense of accomplishment. Then, rather promptly, proceeded to vomit off the side of the roof.

 _'I'd assumed that the side affects for changing forms would be severe, but this is just a new level of torment.'_ Sauron commented, his tone a mixture of pain, disgust, and discomfort. Jaune only continued to throw up for the next few minutes.

'Ugh. That was horrible.' Jaune complained as he wiped some bile from his mouth with his sleeve. Thankfully, either the ill effects of his transformation had worn off or he had run out of stomach content to vomit. Knowing him and Sauron's appetite however, it was most likely the former.

 _'If you think it is bad for you, I preside in here. I can still smell it.'_ The Maiar complained. _'But despite the rather terrible side effects, I do believe we have found a great advantage for us. I've haven't met many who can change forms like that, let alone a mortal whelp like you.'_

'What exactly happened?' Jaune questioned as he slumped against one of roof's palisades. It seemed that it used to be one of the militia's outposts, if evident by the forgotten the weapons and assorted dust crystals that scattered the rooftops.

 _'As I said before, our feä has become one with your flesh. It lays latent, dormant, waiting for it to be called on. Then, it replaces your flesh and you become a blaze of feä fire. Similar to the moon with its two sides. They are both there, but one side is only visible.'_ Sauron explained. _'It will take time to master and properly use, and quite difficult as well. I have no plausible way to master this new ability, despite continuous use of it.'_

'And how do I do that?'

 _'You do not know? It is your own power! Your own ability!'_ Sauron cried with exasperation.

'Its not like I wanted to to turn into a meteor! I don't know how or why I did it to begin with.' Jaune retorted back, allowing some fo the fatigue in his body to ease out of him.

 _'I already explained that portion to you fool. Were you not listening?'_ Sauron said angrily.

'Yeah I heard you the first time. Just, why does it do that? I thought it was only meant to be a shield.'

 _'Do not test me on a subject I know nothing about. The limitations of your mortal feä are unknown to me, though I would wager that the feä of a Maiar such as I, must be eons of differences, especially in the terms of superiority.'_

'Well that's going to help no one. I still don't know how to use it.' The knight confessed.

 _'It would be most logical then, to recall what you were doing at the time you managed to use this ability. Perhaps we could recreate the circumstances, thus giving you the ability to use that new form again.'_

'That would be cool if I could. That spirit form was really helpful.'

 _'You ignorant fool. That shroud of fire was nothing like the spirits of my age. For one, you did not actually leave your physical body. You merely just changed its flesh and sinew into soul fire. Second, you were still_ _corporeal since you were still able to hold and carry your matriarch. Thirdly, and in the opinion of a Maiar who has delved into such arts, the most important fact is that you are not deceased.'_

'Not yet.', Jaune joked.

Sauron could only snort.

They stayed like that for several minutes, allowing themselves a short rest. Like a tidal wave, the exhaustion of the day caught up to him and basically all he could do for a time was breathe heavily. There was a comfortable silence, barring the howls of Grimm and the distinguishable shrieks of the Nukalavee has it continued to hunt for them. Thankfully, the beast had not seen Jaune's meteor form ascend to the top of the building.

However, they both knew that they couldn't stay up there for much longer. Not with his mother in her current condition. Jaune hastily checked the wound, and found that the torn flesh was not healing at the rate that would have it healed and stopped. Her aura had been strained too greatly, and it wouldn't be able to properly to heal it.

She needed medical help immediately.

Jaune turned his attention to the skies above Canvas, and gratefully he saw the headlights of several Bullheads and Warheads streak through it. They were either looking for stranded, and left behind survivors or they were clearing the skies of aerial Grimm to make a safe zone for the reclamation forces that Vale would most certainly send, as Canvas was one of the larger and more important settlements.

He just needed to get their attention. Then they would be set.

 _'An interesting proposition. To summon those armored birds of yours would require some rather blatant signs of our location. Perhaps a fire?'_ Sauron suggested.

The young hunter nodded to himself, before he began to scour the roof top for anything useful in gaining the attention of the Bullheads. He deftly picked up several vials of red dust, that seemed to sparkle with a slumbering power. Fire dust, the embodiment of nature's fire. Summer's wrath made physical. It would make a fine signal for the airships.

But he needed more than just fire. He needed to make it look unnatural, like someone had deliberately made the signal and it was not in fact just another normal fire birthed by the chaos.

 _'A signal fire? Primitive but effective. However, amongst the other flames ours will look just as intentional as theirs. We need to make ours more...noticeable.'_ Sauron suggested.

'I know exactly what to do.' Jaune eagerly replied as he gathered more and more dust of varying colors. Wether it was in vials, cartridges, or in their pure crystal forms, he began to stock pile them into a pile. He was careful to only include lightining and ice dusts. They would be imperative for the signal.

 _'You will have to educate me on those crystals of yours. They are fascinating.'_ Sauron said as Jaune finally stepped back from the small pile of dust. It was primarily blue and white, and within close proximity of each other, the different elements allowed several latent sparks to fly.

'I never told you about dust?' Jaune inquired. How could dust not have popped up during one of their many mental conversations. It was a staple of a civilized life, an everyday occurrence and commodity. Everything had some form of dust involved with its creation, wether by cooking with dust, or using dust into the forging of weapons.

 _'I do not believe so. We were either preoccupied with the delicious food your matriarch provided us, having that well dressed man train you, and us recovering from said training.'_ Sauron answered.

'Well, the text book definition of dust is that its Nature's wrath made physical. Each crystal holds a certain element which gives its its color. Like this red crystal here. It holds the power of fire." Jaune said as he held up the sealed vial of red dust.

 _'Your people have managed to harness the power of the seasons?'_ Sauron asked. Had Man managed to ascertain the power the Maiar and elves hadn't over the land?'

'Well not exactly. The stories say that we found the crystals in the past, and we used it to fight the Grimm. Now we mine for it or even manufacture our own.' He confessed. He really didn't know that much of the distant past, the only knowledge of the past coming from the stories that he used to read. Surprisingly, he hadn't found the historical textbooks that littered the Arc Manor's library.

 _'Humph. Well do tell me the plan you are brewing. Trying to decipher it from within here is very similar to translate the ramblings of a drunkard to the writings of an elven lord.'_ Sauron snarked. Jaune could only give a sigh as he began to explain his plan.

'Well when you mix certain elements together, you get some really colorful results. Hopefully its colorful enough to catch the eyes of the pilots.' Jaune reasoned and he took several steps back from his little pile of dust.

 _'I had thought the eyes of your war birds would be a bit more perceptive. It seems that you need to find a new species to enthrall.'_ The veteran Maiar advised.

'They aren't birds. They're machines. They don't feel or think.' Jaune answered him.

 _'I see that you don't see them as living things then. You're race must have conquered those beasts long ago for them to be socially accepted as unfeeling, unthinking things.'_

'What? No that's not what it is at all! Whatever, we'll talk about this later.' Jaune said his voice full of exasperation. He turned around to make sure that the volatile reaction that he planned on birthing would not effect his wounded mother. Thankfully, she was a safe distance away

Then, with a flick of his arm, he sent the vial of fire dust into the pile of lighting, earth, and ice crystals. The glass of the vial shattered against the hard minerals, and specks of transparent red littered among the pale crystals, contrasting against it greatly.

Expectedly, the explosion and the great flare of sickly green energy brightened their immediate area, with a large amount of light.

Unexpectedly, Jaune found himself hurtling backwards, propelled by the sudden, immense pressure caused by the explosion of dust energy.

 _'Were those the expected results of your signal?'_ Sauron groaned as Jaune allowed himself to lay on the ground. While the explosion wasn't that powerful and the mixture only meant to ignite and not implode, it still was quite the surprise for Jaune how strong the reaction truly was.

'No. But hopefully the pilots saw it.' He answered the Maiar. He slowly got up, a bit rattled by the unexpected explosion. Truly he had been lucky he had gotten such a luminous result instead of an expected, vanilla explosion.

The green orb of light, crackled as the improperly mixed dust crystals repelled and attracted each other's different powers. It was unstable, and Jaune knew better then to get any closer to such a volatile energy. However, the bright green light would only last for a few minutes at best, and if it failed then Jaune would have to come up with a different plan, which would most likely have a much lower success rate.

Thankfully, his hopes were answered by the increasingly louder rumblings of three airships. Their large headlights were directed towards their position, and behind the two main Bullhead was a well armed Warhead, brimming with weapons.

 _'It seems that your war birds have seen us. I must applaud the first actual successful plan you've had during our partnership.'_ Sauron congratulated as their salvation came closer and closer.

'That's not true, I've had some good plans in the past.' Jaune defended himself as he proceeded to gingerly pick up his mother and carefully maneuver her so that the Bullheads could land and he could deliver her to them without any complications.

The great aviating machines, of heavy plated armor and with powerful engineering within their bowels which kept them afloat, slowly began to descend towards the roof top. One of the Bullheads landed on the roof top, its powerful twin engines nearly knocking Jaune away with their power. It's side door opened, revealing several armed milita men who began to beckon Jaune towards them.

"Come on kid! Let's get you out of here!" One of them shouted as Jaune hurriedly, but gently began to make his way to the landed airship, careful not to disturb her wound or her unconcious state.

"Oh shit. Make some room boys! We got wounded here!" A helmeted man said loudly, as Jaune gingerly placed his mother in the milita man's arms. She was slowly groaning, and her eyes were beginning to flutter open from time to time, signaling she was returning to consciousness.

"Don't worry kid, we'll get you both to the safe zone. You're in safe hands.", he said, his voice full of confidence as two of his brothers-in-arms placed her in a stretcher. Another was already peeling off Jaune's makeshift bandage from her side, which was slick with blood, and began to properly bandage the wound with clean linens and with a variety of liquid medicines.

 _'Do you feel that?'_ Sauron warned as a needle of doubt was speared through Jaune. Abruptly Jaune allowed his head to turn to the right, and worse of all he wasn't the only one to feel the sudden and imminent danger.

The milita man who was talking to him, had also turned his head, and to the victim's credit, the pilot of the other Bullhead attempted to avoid the ominous danger. Before it was suddenly swatted out of the air by a familiar claw.

It was sent through the air, downed by the sudden attack, its plates heavily dented and one of its engines crushed and destroyed. It disappeared from their view, as it swirled away, before a loud explosion sounded out followed no by a plume of smoke and fire.

 _'Damned beast! It seems there must be a curse upon us, preventing us from safety retreating from this doomed place.'_ Sauron snarled as a very familiar and heart clenching shriek sounded out. Wether it was drawn by Jaune's beacon for help or the arrival of the three airships it had made its way towards them and had effectively knocked a Bullhead out of the sky it's a single hit.

The Warhead shuttered, as its powerful engines propelled it to face the Nuckelavee below it. The hum of its awakening weapons filled the air as it slowly took aim at the Grimm. However, being slow in their ability to fire upon the equine Grimm would be there downfall and death.

The armed airship also found itself torn from the sky, the Nuckelavee's right hand claw impacting heavily its cockpit. It's metallic corpse crashed into the ground, its dust ammunition and the dust it used for fuel exploding and coating it in a blaze of fire.

The Nuckelavee snarled as its eyes focused on the last remaining Bullhead. Even with one hand, the beast was still fully capable of tearing airships out of the sky and killing them, and with the Bullhead landed it was vulnerable to an attack.

 _'No. Not again. No! I can see what you are planning! It won't work! It will get us killed! Stop this foolishness!'_ Sauron snarled as Jaune felt his will steeled. He knew what he had to do.

 _'You obviously don't fool! You don't have the strength or power!'_

He promptly ignored the sharer of his soul, and he turned his attention to the now shaking milita man, who had just previously promised them safety. The rest of the passengers on the Bullhead were stuck in a conundrum that they would all would most likely lose. If they fled on the Bullhead, they would die. If they fled on foot, they would die. If they waited on the airship, they would die.

"Get going. Make the pilot take you to the safe zone.", Jaune ordered to the fearful member of the milita. Even behind their helmet, he could make out the man's fear of the Grimm.

"Wa-wai-wait wh-what?' His voice trembling in fear.

 _'What a cowardly warrior! Was he not the one who promised us safety moments ago!'_ Sauron snarled in anger. _'You're no better! You're plans to fight the Demon are ridiculous stupid at best and suicidal at worst.'_

'Do you have any better ideas then?'

 _'Fleeing would be the only one you are capable of pulling off currently. You don't have the strength, skill, or intelligence to pull off the rest.'_ The old Maiar answered honestly.

'Well then, I guess my plan wins out then.'

 _'To be clear, I have never found a more annoying mortal then you.'_ Jaune could only mentally shrug as he turned towards the side of the building where the Nuckelavee was facing.

"You're facing that thing alone?!" The milia man said, bewilderment evident in his voice. "You'll get yourself killed!"

Jaune found it imperative to ignore the man and Sauron's following response on how right he was. His resolve was already being tested and fear was wracking his inner fortitude. But he needed to do this. This was there only option.

"I'll hold it off for as long as I can. You'll have to get yourselves out of here, while I do." Jaune said as he prepared himself for the fight.

"Bu-bu-but!" The man started, his voice stuttering with fear and anxiety.

Jaune allowed his hands to fall on the man's shoulders, and he allowed his blue eyes to bore through the man's visor. "Take care of her please. Tell her and my family that I'm sorry. An Arcs got to be hero right?" He said bitterly. Had this been the role of a hero he had wanted just a week ago? The hero who sacrificed everything for the ones he cared for.

He didn't have time to lament however, as the huge claw of the Nuckelavee gripped the edge of the building. With a tug, it brought down a claw full of bricks and newly created rubble. It seemed in the position that the last remaining Bullhead it had cover from the Grimm's reach because of the building, so the Grimm's cunning and instinct had directed it to bring down the building in order for it to get closer to them.

"Go!" Jaune shouted as he pushed the militia man into the Bullhead. Despite his previous fatigue and pain from before Jaune found himself strong enough to unbalance the man, and for the knight to run to the edge of the building where the Nuckelavee was currently attempting to bring down.

'You ready?' Jaune asked his mental companion.

 _'You are implying I agreed to follow through with this incredibly suicidal plan of yours.'_ Sauron responded as they peered down at the horse-imp fusion of a Grimm. It only stared back at him, watching him. Studying him.

Jaune allowed himself to take a moment to breathe. To collect his nerves and clean his thoughts. Then with a burst of courage he jumped off the side of the building towards the Grimm below him.

To no one's surprise, he really didn't have a plan that detailed an effective way at dealing with the beast below him. It was capable of beating his mother who was a seasoned huntress, and even with one arm was still strong enough to rip airships out of the sky. Its horned, top head let loose a shriek as Jaune fell closer to it.

Soul fire filled him again. It was sudden, but not jarring, and once again his body shifted into a stream of white aura and white fire. Almost as if he had expected it but not expected it at the same time.

 _'That allegory that you had just conjured makes no sense. But no matter. I have figured out how to use this new ability of yours. But first do dodge this creature.'_ Sauron ordered.

The young warrior only spirited away from the creature's one hand grasp. Jaune could see through his fiery, comet like form, that the Nuckelavee's eyes widened in recognition and it let loose a how of irritation as Jaune escaped its reach once again.

With a bounce from the air, Jaune redirected himself to behind the Nuckelavee and landed with a small explosion of wispy aura and dying white fire. Both of its head swiveled around to face him, four molten orange eyes trained on him. Behind the Grimm and unbeknownst to it, the Bullhead was taking off, and happiness boomed in Jaune's chest. His mother was safe, and she was going to be transported to a safe zone where her wound would be treated.

It seemed that the first part of his plan had worked out wonderfully. Now came the second part, which included dealing with the one armed Grimm.

 _'And here is where the real trouble comes hmmm? How do you propose you will kill this beast alone?'_ Sauron asked, his voice full of sarcasm and snark.

'Well, I have you don't I? So I won't be alone.' Jaune joked back. It was truly all the humor he could find in such a serious and potentially deadly situation.

 _'And what can I possibly do for you here? I lost my original body long ago and now I am trapped within yours, doing nothing but berate you for being a foolish mortal. What could I possibly do for you during this situation?!'_ He asked. The Maiar's voice and question were genuine, but there was still an edge to it that Jaune would without a doubt ask about if he survived this encounter with the Grimm.

'Do what you always do. Help me.'

 _'What? Do you not understand what I just said to you? I am merely a voice within your head! I possess no powers that can help you right now! All you have is an old sword, dented and broken armor, the voice of an ethereal being from a bygone age, and you own wits against a demonic shadow of a beast, who has proved far stronger than us.'_

Jaune felt his own resolve choke down, as Sauron revealed what little they had. But they couldn't stop now. Not when they had made it so far.

'But, look how far we've gotten!' Jaune defended.

 _'Undoubtedly due to your insane amounts of pure luck. But eventually those have found themselves dried out. This creature is not a simple drunkard you can simply knock out with a single punch.'_

'Then, are you ready to die?'

That question caught the Maiar off guard.

 _'Pardon?'_

'I asked if you were ready to die. If you're not going to help me now, then this thing will kill us.', Jaune answered honestly.

 _'And who's fault is that? Who's fault is that we're are in this situation to begin with?'_ Sauron accused.

'That doesn't matter now. I'm just saying if you don't help then we will definitely die.'

 _'And how fool, am I supposed to help you?'_

Jaune let out out a sigh of exasperation. 'Just be there for me would you? Even If you don't think you can help me, you still give me the strength to do this. I know that you wouldn't do it if you had the choice, but you being with me gives me the strength to do this. This is your body too. My soul is your soul and I need your help to fully use it. So help me out here, and together we can beat this thing.'

 _'Is this another one of those working together speeches that you always use?'_ Sauron groaned. _'At some point those are going to stop working on me and then what's going to happen?'_

'So you'll help me?' Jaune asked hopefully, before he let out a grunt of fear as he dodged the sudden, attacking arm of their Grimm foe. The claw slammed into the ground where he once stood and the brick flooring easily crumbled under its strength. The claw retracted back to its master, and the Nuckelavee began to charge towards them, its create legs and hooves carrying it forward with terrifying speed.

 _'Yes. As I always do. Now let us deal with this ugly beast. I have begun to tire of having to look at this ugly abomination.'_

'We'll avenge all who have fallen to it. Together.' Jaune said, his voice strengthened by will and courage. Crocea Mors, one of the legendary weapons of the old Arc warriors sang a song of battle and metal as it was unsheathed from its prison. Its old age had no affect on its ability to cut flesh and the sharp metal practically flowed in the moonlight

 _'Together.'_ Sauron agreed with his mortal partner. Jaune's head was soon filled with the hell fire that Sauron had dominion over, but instead of the usual pain that accompanied it, a comforting warmth filled him.

 **'Together.'** They spoke in unison. Their voice boomed and Jaune wasn't quite sure if he spoken mentally or actually spoken out, but the effects of their combined voice gave him strength of will and courage.

There was a sudden, snap if you would, that sounded out. Unknowingly, their decision to actually help each other by joining together with their goals, had fully unlocked the capabilities of their joined souls.

Jauen felt his aura flare to life and its began to blaze off his skin like fire. It trailed off into the sky, and it illuminated the night's darkness and uplifted the market slightly from the Nuckelavee's natural darkness.

His eyes, once perfectly normal and with sapphire irises, now _blazed_. Not like the descriptions used when describing emotions that were expressed through the eyes, or when describing the colors of their irises.

No, his eyes were actually on fire. The flesh of his visual receptors had been replaced by blue fire, which trailed out of his eye sockets and blazed like a newly lit torch. There was no irises within the flames, not like Sauron's old form as a fiery eye with a slitted pupil. No, it was a pure flame, blue as the deep ocean and they held the power of soul fire.

Confidently, Jaune stepped forward to confront the beast. His aura had died down somewhat, but there faint was a small, white glow that emnanted from him, with the occasional flare or wisp of the fire. His eyes still blazed though, the unnatural fire a mixture of Sauron's fiery eye from before and the color of Jaune's irises.

Crocea Mors shone like a shard of the moon in his hands, and he gripped the old blade with both hands as he faced down the one armed Nuckelavee. The Grimm had only observed Jaune for this time, either perturbed by the display of power or just generally curious.

Either way it let out a shriek of defiance before it began to charge towards him again.

Jaune let an easy smirk make it to his face as he felt both his and Sauron's confidence flow through him. Then he charged to meet his, sword gripped tightly within his hands.

 _'Let us notify to all that we are a force to be reckoned with. Let us teach these foes of ours that a God of an old age has returned. Let us show why they should fear us. Let us destroy this creature with your blade of old. Together.'_ Sauron spoke, his voice like lightning and thunder as he became intoxicated off the unleashed power of their combined souls. His pride as the greatest of the Maiar and the greatest of a bygone age was on the line, and he wouldn't allow the efforts of a mindless beast tarnish that.

'For Mom. For those it as killed.' Jaune shortly spoke as he prepared to avenge to all those who had been wounded or killed by the beast. He felt that there was more stories to be told or that have told of this particular Grimm, especially with the old weapons that stuck out of its back, unfamialir to him since the milita strictly only used rifles. But he would fight this beast for all those who had fallen to it. For those he didn't know, for those he knew, and for those he would know.

He shifted his form into one of the standard practiced sword formations that Sauron had drilled into his head. Crocea Mor's flat side of the blade close to his chest, and the sharp tip of the blade pointed towards the rapidly approaching Grimm.

 **X.**

The Nuckelavee was a simple creature with a simple calling and mission.

Follow the Queen's orders.

To it, it had no other purpose. The Queen had created it, and as payment for its creation it would serve her every whim. Its other broodmates had been sent out all over their dominion, either to act as the vanguard for the horde, or be the bastion in key holdings of their empires.

Its first mission was to raze a settlement where the enemy had managed to stick several large weapons into its back. It had made sure to tear them apart with prejudice. The Queen then had it stand guard there for many years, allowing for the spreading of their horde and empire.

Then it had it directed to this settlement. A new enemy of the empire had to be dealt with, and its weaker cousins were not strong enough to deal with its, so the Queen had beckoned it to aid its fellow soldiers of their empire.

It had found a worthy prey item in the woman who wielded silver, who even managed to take off one of its imposing claws, but she soon had fallen pray to its last remaining arm. The Nuckelavee then found itself being annoyed by another entity. White, and like fire, it retrieved the woman from its grasp and had spirited her away, before it could land the finishing blow.

Then, great birds had descended, and it had taken iniative to tear them from the sky. Their strange, powerful wings now lay in ruin and in great heaps of flaming flesh.

The entity had returned however, and the Nuckelavee had taken it upon itself to engage the new threat, confident in the savage abilities its Queen had given it.

Now, however, it found itself for the first time fearing for its life. This prey was dangerous, and demanded the upmost of its respect and abilities to face.

Its enemy was wreathed in white fire and its eyes had transformed into blue stars that held great power within their cores. And as it stated at its enemy's eyes, which held fire almost as a hit as its Queen's blood red flames, and as the human's sword threatened to be brought down on it, it knew one fact.

That its Queen was not the only primeval god.

 **X.**

The Nuckelavee's arm speared through the air like an arrow, and with the strength and devastating impact of a war hammer. The Grimm was holding nothing back in its attempts to kill him. That was fine. They would hold nothing back either.

Jaune's body turned into white flames once again, and he narrowly dodged the offending limb of the Grimm. He coiled in the air, a snake of white fire and smoke, before he coiled around the now embedded arm of the Nuckelavee, captilzing on the beast's opening.

 _'Show this creature our wrath.'_ Sauron ordered as Jaune descended upon the horse head of the Grimm, with his blade ready to pierce the flesh of Grimm.

The knight's old blade soon found itself swung upon the the the black flesh and bony white mask of the Grimm's lower head, and a squelch of separating flesh followed by a horrible grating noise echoed through out the market place. Crocea Mors cleaved through the thick white armor, the old metal unyielding as it ran through the horse head's structure of bone.

The beast reared back on its hooved, hind legs, both heads screeching in pain as its one arm went to cover the ruined bone and flesh upon its horse head. Already, thick, black blood seeped through its massive fingers, and chips of cracked bone began to fall off its face.

However, Jaune was not done yet. His strength still held some fuel, and already Sauron was giving him commands on how to deal with the wounded beast.

 _'Finish it. This abomination of flesh and shadow as proven that even when it is heavily wounded, it is still fully capable of killing.'_ Sauron advised and Jaune tightened his grip on his sword and he felt his eyes blaze with more power has he prepared to attack the wounded Nuckelavee.

His form quickly shifted back to its ethereal and fiery form as he advanced towards the distracted Grimm. He ascended above his nemesis, once again appearing in his physical body with a small explosion. This time however, he felt a great discomfort course through him, the sensation similar to when he had strained his body too much while he was training with Roman and Neo.

 _'That transformation of your flesh into your soul fire is draining our strength and your feä's power. This will be the last time you can use that move without massive consequences on your body. Frankly, I rather not suffer so I urge you not to do that again.'_ Sauron warned.

'Dont worry.' Jaune reassured Sauron. 'This chance is all I need.'

And with a mighty swing downwards he brought Crocea Mors down upon the upper head of the Nuckelavee. The mask shattered as the old sword swung through it, and thick blood seeped through the fissure Jaune had created.

Jaune landed harshly on the ground, his strength all but spent. His breathing was heavily labored and his eyes no longer burned with the power of their combined souls. Now he was extremely tired, but he held a sense off accomplishment.

He was in a rude awakening, however, when he was forcefully kicked away by the still alive Nuckelavee.

 _'Urgh!'_

'Ohff!'

They both grunted in pain, as Jaune rolled away, his stomach burning with pain and the breath effectively knocked out of his lungs. Crocea Mors was torn away from his hand, and the clattering of metal signaled its departure from him. His rolling stopped, suddenly and rather painfully as he slammed into the side of a destroyed building, leaving him a groaning and disoriented mess.

He shakily lifted himself from the ground, ignoring the absolutely horrible feeling that emanated from his stomach. It felt wet, dry, heavy and light at the same time as the pain that came from his stomach threatened to overwhelm him. Jaune gripped the agonized area with his left hand and supported his still keeled over body with his right hand, and turned his head to examine the still alive Nuckelavee.

Jaune allowed thoughts of disheartening remarks cross his mind, especially of the sorts oh 'How he should have killed it like a true Arc should.' He pushed those away though. For his first encounter with the Grimm, he had done well. He had killed his first Grimm and whatever category those husks fell under, with only with a handful of days of training on how to properly hold a sword and fight, as well with his and Sauron's wits.

The deep slashes he had inflicted on the Grimm's dual heads were intensely cut and the Nuckelavee would not heal from the wounds without some massive hindrances. The horse head's mask that belonged to its lower body, had a large gash through the white bone, and the black flesh that made up the upper portion of its head. One of its orange eyes had been permanently dimmed, and the long trail created by Crocea Mors lead to its jaws, where it had actually managed to knock out several of its teeth. Rivers of red and black seeped from the large wound inflicted upon it, staining its boney head.

Its upper head had fared far worse. One of its intimidating horns had actually been cleanly cut through, leaving only a stump. Its mask had a great gorge carved through it diagonally, blood already welling from the wound and dripping in great quantities from its face. Spider web fractures were born from the primary slash and spread throughout the entirety of its heads, and even those small cracks were leaking blood.

The young knight had done a number on the beast, and he felt pride fill him as he watched it shake both of its head to clean it off the promisingly leaking blood. Its three remaining eyes then narrowed dangerously as they spied Jaune's vulnerable form.

 _'In all my time planning on how I would reconquer the world, I never thought that an abomination would be the one that would send me back to the void.'_ Sauron complained. _'But, for a mortal whelp like yourself, you did an acceptable job.'_

'Yeah. I guess I did.' Jaune attempted to joke. He was only met with the sudden need to cough up something vile. Perhaps it was his internal injuries acting up.

 _'Do not gain such arrogance. Its unfitting of some of your stature.'_ Sauron snarked at him.

'Thats funny coming from you.' Jaune shot back. He heard Sauron gave a snort at his jab, but the Maiar remained silent. Jaune had one what was most likely their last mental jabbing contest.

The Nuckelavee's upper head snapped towards him, flinging blood and bone as its eyes zeroed in on him. The beast then began to lumber towards him, slowly and patiently, its great footfalls echoing menacingly. It's wounds were still exerting great volumes of blood, and it left a large trail of bloody puddles behind it as it moved to corner Jaune.

Too bad, someone else had plans for Jaune.

 _'What is that noise?'_ Sauron asked as a high pitched whistle of sorts, filled the night. Then a fiery projectile soared over Jaune's position and with an explosion, connected with the Nuckelavee's already injured head.

It's previous screeches of pain from before we're nothing compared to the cacophony of noise that escaped both heads of the Nuckelavee. It's thrashed around, it's legs creating large divets as it stomped them into the ground beneath it, and its one arm flailed around it widely. Fire had completely encased its head, and while the explosion may have not blasted it apart like Jaune had hoped, it still made an impact as ragged bits of shadowy flesh were being flung from its head.

And to Jaune's and Sauron's great surprise and relief, the Nuckelavee promptly turned away from them and began to gallop away, its head still alight and its great screeches of agony filling the sky. It's form disappeared behind several buildings a few moments later and soon enough it's own agonized calls soon faded away.

That left an injured and preplexed Jaune behind, to only stare in shook as the powerful Grimm finally retreated. He was either too injured or tired to jump up with joy, but that didn't stop the warm feeling of victory fill his body at seeing the horse Grimm flee.

 _'You are indeed one of the luckiest mortals I have met.'_ Sauron commented. All Jaune could do was slowly nod as he finally slumped over, exhausted. The pain in his stomach was slowly dying down, most likely due to his aura slowly repairing the internal injuries that were inflicted on him. It was harder to breathe though.

The clattering of metal on brick, made Jaune's head snap to his left where Crocea Mors skittered to his side, the blade scratched but still unbroken. The soft pattern of footfalls that accompanied it made Jaune go on alert, as he struggled to stand and defend himself. Of course he faltered, and his legs gave out from underneath him, threatening to cast him to the ground.

Only that a strong arm, clothed in a slightly reddened white suit stopped him from meeting the pavement.

"I do recall, my protégé, that this morning I told you not to do anything stupid." Roman said as he smirked down at Jaune. In return, all Jaune could do was stare up blankly at his mentor.

"Come now. Gawking is uncouth for a gentleman. Now eat this." His older, more well dressed friend said as he gently leaned aagainst a wall and as well a handing him a familiar white crystal.

Tentaively he chewed through it, the process more labrous and harder than he last remembered. It was like eating incredibly old candy, and their was a tart flavor in his mouth from the gen he consumed. Then, in a great gulp, he swallowed the shattered crystal, ignoring how it roughed up his throat and almost brought tears to his eyes.

It took a few slow minutes for the mysterious gem to work its magic, but the pain in his stomach area was disappearing at a much faster rate, and a drowsiness he wasn't aware of, had begun to flow out of him. All the while, Roman smirked down at him, Melodic Cudgel twirling in his hand.

"You are an expensive investment Jaune Arc. Those healing dusts don't come cheap you know?" Roman said as Jaune slowly stood up. "But I do know a way you can repay me without forking over lien." He finished as he helped Jaune fully stand up.

 _'I do not like the sound of that.'_ Sauron confessed as Jaune dusted himself off.

'What do you mean?' Jaune asked as he sheathed Crocea Mors.

 _'By the state of his normally well kept clothing, I'd wager that he has engaged in battle against a power foe. One that he's lost.'_ Sauron deduced. _'A powerful foe at that, for a superior warrior such as Roman himself to ask you for the minuscule amount of help that you would provide for him.'_

'Yeah, I'm not feeling to great right now.' Jaune admitted. While the healing gem that Roman gave to him had helped immensely, there was still a noticeable unease in the area where the Nuckelavee had kicked him.

 _'To be expected of course. You were lucky to walk away from that suicidal plan with only a broken rib and severe bruising. Not to mention that you've effectively burned out what remained of our 'Aura', as you called it. We will not be able to shield ourselves properly again. Our advantages are slowly disappearing.'_ Sauron warned.

A loud crash and a sound similar to that of a rushing river caused the two gentlemen to snap their heads towards the market place, which had turned into the night's battle ground. A great coiling river of water spilled onto the ruined pavilion and a familiar figure skidded upon the ground, her thin blade digging into the floor to stop her.

"Damn. Seems Neo's illusions couldn't hold that bastard off for long. Come now Jaune. We have work to do.", Roman said as he dashed towards the soaked Neo, his cane brandished like a sword. Jaune soon found himself trying to keep up with his mentor, his earlier fatigue, and ruined, armored cloak slowing him down. Crocea Mors rattled as his side, almost begging to be released once again despite its old age.

 _'Prepare yourself. The entity that we have sensed before is about to reveal itself.'_ Sauron growled.

"Geez. I had thought that you had it handled.", Roman tried to joke as he allowed his gloved hand to move a strand of Neo's multicolored hair from her face. The girl continued to breathe heavily, water dripping from her soaked body, and all she did was present a rather provocative gesture with her middle finger. Roman only threw his head back and laughed as Jaune finally caught up to them, panting heavily and allowing himself to support his body on his knees.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you there for a little bit.", Roman apologized to Neo. "But I had to rescue our student right here, from the clutches of the Nuckelavee.", he continued as he wrapped an arm around the still the winded Jaune and brought him close.

"Speaking of which, we will have to discuss your fight against it later.", the suited man said as he gave Jaune a serious look. Neo just rolled her expressive eyes, before she tore her rapier like blade from the ground and fell into the classic sword stance that many rapier users used. Her eyes glanced over Jaune, and after a moment examining him, allowed them to narrow as she stared off into the direction that the wave of water had carried her from.

 _'Arm yourself. The puppet master approaches.'_ Sauron snarled with disgust as the water level around their feet slowly began to rise. Coming from the ruins of a destroyed building, a figure clothed in a black, ragged cloak practically flew towards them. Its cloak hid any features that confirmed its humanity, hiding its feet, head, and hand within the confines of its robes. Various trinkets were strewn across its body, and odd relics and baubles hung from a large, dirty necklace that hung loosely around its neck.

Crocea Mors was once again unsheathed, and the brilliant relic from a bygone age was accompanied by its sister shield, as Jaune prepared to fight once again. The being was obviously armed, as Sauron's share of their vision instantly spotted a large sickle held tightly by its robes. Its blade had not seen a good cleaning in what seemed like years as the blade had almost been crusted over by old and dried blood.

"I assume you've killed several of those disgusting, walking corpses? Well, they're all controlled by the shell of the man in front of us. We call him one of the Necromancer's Apprentices. One of ten.", Roman confirmed. "But unlike those poor unfortunate bodies he's taken over, this bastard doesn't go down easily."

"Well how do we kill him?" Jaune inquired as they stood off against one of the Necromancer's apprentices.

"Good question. Decapitation, being impaled, and being shot have proved to be ineffective and we haven't been able to try anything. He's good with that sickle of his.", Roman answered, and the wound on his left arm started to make sense to Jaune. Neo nodded seriously beside him, her eyes never leaving the menacing figure of the Apprentice.

Strangely enough, they weren't the ones that made the first move.

"Yes. Indeed. You all will make fine puppets for the master of the River. Especially you young Arc. What an interesting soul that you have.", the Apprentice seemingly spoke, his voice baritone and as of multiple people were speaking at once. Jaune subconsciously flinched as the hooded figure turned towards him and he practically felt the Apprentice's eyes upon him.

 _'I do not like this mortal. He may know things that most should not. And he plays with the dead as if they are a test subjects to be experimented on.'_ Sauron commented.

'You and me both.' Jaune agreed as he prepared himself for the fight.

 **X.**

Roman would never admit it, but he was proud. Pride and Roman shook hands very often, but behind closed doors. Overconfidence lead to very painful things in the underworld, and Roman had to learn how to school his features in order to rise to the top as a master thief. But having a weak spine let people step all over you, and Roman also picked up on how to stand out as a competent criminal that knew how to bite back.

But here, in the throes of battle against a powerful foe, the thief could allow his emotions run wild. Here his pride could reveal itself as he proved that he deserved to belong here. He had dragged himself to the top from the bottom of the barrel, with only his wits and his skills with Melodic Cudgel. Roman would be damned if he allowed himself to be killed by such an inferior being as this Apprentice.

But his pride didn't stop at his own skills. He spied Neo flank the robed entity, her blade piercing his side. To no avail however, as all that poured from the rip in its robe was more of that polluted water that also flowed through the dead that this particular Apprentice had command over. She nimbly dodged out of the way of his sickle's arc.

Neo had been by his side as long as he could remember. His oath to his fallen comrades was being fulfilled and she was growing up to be a prime and proper lady of society.

.

.

To be fair, the last part was subjective, but none the less he was still proud of her and all she had accomplished. His gaze zeroed in on his latest protege, not allowing worry to enter him as Jaune skidded away from the Apprentice, the sickle's strike he had blocked powerful enough to send him flying back several yards. After getting his bearings from such a blow, Jaune rushed back into the fray, his sword raised high.

The young Arc had been such a worthy investment indeed, and Roman actually liked the kid for who he was and not just for his rapidly evolving skills. Just a couple of days ago, the young man hadn't been able to properly fight, just knowing how to block and swing his sword. The kid had the stamina to do that for a long time to be fair, but Roman had taken it upon himself to properly train the boy. After all, there was a very big difference between a moving opponent and a practice dummy.

Now? The knight had slain the walking dead, Beowolves, and had even grievously injured an S-class Grimm. He wasn't exactly the most skillful individual, but the boy had gotten the job done with flying colors. Not to mention that the Arc was obviously hiding something. Roman had noticed from their initial confrontation with the Apprentice on the roof tops, how the inconspicuous teenager had transformed into a comet of white fire. Or how the fact that the Arc's eyes had transformed into stars of blue fire as he faced down the Nuckelavee.

Roman's talent at seeing potential was finally seeing fruition. Now all he had to do was kill this raiser of the dead for him to collect on his investments.

Melodic Cudgel met the sharp edge of their foe's sickle in a shower of sparks, and Roman found himself in an intense duel between the two of them. Their weapons were practically blurred as they parried and attacked each other. It was taking every ounce of Roman's skill to keep pace with the skilled sickle user, but he held confident in his ability to match his foe's strikes.

He also ignored the fact the great, empty hood of his enemy peered down at him as they fought. Whatever Candlelight had sent them to fight had proven itself as either beyond humanity or inferior to it. This was certainly the last time that Roman would take one of these jobs.

With a mighty parry that threw off the sickle's course, Roman found himself with an opening that he couldn't ignore. Quick as a flash, the end of his cane found itself touching the cloaked chest of Apprentice and with a press of a trigger, blasted him with a wave of fire.

Steam billowed into his face and he had to leap back in order to clear his vision. The harsh clang of metal reached his ears as he wiped his eyes, meaning that either Neo or Jaune had intervened to gain the attention of the Apprentice while he was distracted. Judging by the speed of those clangs, it was most likely Neo as Jaune hadn't reach that level of skill with his sword to move that fast.

When his vision finally cleared, he saw Neo twist and turn masterfully, attempting to shred the Apprentice apart with her vicious strikes. They were all blocked however, as soon the short girl was forced on the defensive and was being pushed back by the Apprentice. Jaune, however, surged behind the necromancer, as if to pierce his back, only to be slammed away by an immense pillar of water that had sprouted from beneath him. He was flung away, sailing over Roman's head before he landed with a crash.

"Owww.", Jaune groaned slowly as he began to pick himself out of the puddle he had landed in.

Then with an unnatural twist, the Apprentice allowed his body to turn, and with a wave of his sleeved arms, great cascades of water levitated from the ground and pushed them all away with their strength. Neo was quickly slammed into his side, and they both tumbled backwards, crashing into the already downed Jaune.

They tumbled and bumped into each other repeatedly, before at last, the river that had carried them away died down. It left them sputtering, gasping, and heavily breathing as they tried to right themselves. Roman himself, could only look down in discuss at his ruined suit and clothes. Candlelight would be hearing about this to be sure.

"You ignorant slaves to mortality. Do you not know what I offer you? I can provide you an escape from the fragile clutches of life. The life water that flows through you can be your salvation. Let death be the ticket to your eternal life.", the Apprentice spoke as he stepped towards him. His cloak seemingly floated above the water that he had thrown at them and his sickle was ready to slash at them once again.

Roman himself gritted in frustration. Things were not looking good for them. They were running out of stamina, Jaune was already faltering, and they didn't know how to permamently put him down. Not even Roman's powerful cane's projectile had made the guy flinch, only making great quantities of steam come out of his body.

Their situation was looking quite hopeless indeed. Retreat would have to be their only option for now.

"I know how to kill him.", Jaune whispered into his ear. The kid might as well been an angel at this point as he delivered salvation on to them. Roman glanced to his right to see how focused Jaune seemed, his eyes locked permanently on the Apprentice's form.

"Do any of you have a lightning crystal?" He asked hurriedly, watching as the apprentice necromancer began to surge towards him. Roman barely had the time to take one out of his pockets and toss it to the young knight, before Melodic Cudgel met the curved end of the Apprentice's scythe. The master theif was quite sure that his legs actually sunk through the brick from the force. He braced his defensive stance by using both hands to block with his cane and he felt his legs straining effort to keep himself upright.. A terrible cracking sound emnanted from his beloved Melodic Cudgel, and his eyes widened in fear as the sickle actually managed to begin to cut through his cane.

Neo and Jaune dodged out the way of the Apprentice's attack, but his partner in crime returned to the fight in order to help him. Jaune however, took several moments to fidget over his sword and the lightning crystal he had been given.

The Apprentice suddenly switched targets from him and Neo soon found herself flung into the air by the powerful blow that had been directed to her. She had managed to block the strike with her blade, but there was a lot of force in that strike and she fell to the ground, clutching her sword hand with her free hand. Roman's parental side blazed like fire as he observed the girl he had raised since she was a child threatened, the prospect of his oath to his fallen comrades being broken haunting him. His legs however, gave out from underneath him and he tumbled over ungracefully, something that Roman was not often associated with. He could only watch helplessly as the Apprentice loomed over her.

"Let's the rivers of life ease you into your immortality. Let your tainted blood take the blood of the earth herself.", The hooded being whispered, his dozens of voices merging into a booming murmur. His bony fingers came into view, unbidden from the confines of his heavy robes, and thin tendrils of water reacted to his call. Like the string that puppet masters used, the water bent to his will and they seemed to converge towards Neo. Soon, her hands and legs were bound by thick coils of water and despite her ability to teleport and struggle, the water kept her in place.

"By the power that the Necromancer himself has imbued with me, I shall free you from the chains of mortality. Let you know true life in death.", he spoke loudly, his voice like a chorus of the deathly ill. His sickle was raised high into the air, its curved tip glinting menacingly in the moon lit sky.

Then he brought it down in a wide arc.

Blood fell into the water in a shower, tainting it further with the fresh life essence of a human.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **X.**

Jaune eyes widened as blood fell freely from the wound. His eyes remained transfixed as the sickle curved through the air and its sharpened tip pierced flesh. He watched it as it flowed in great streams, staining clothing and unblemished skin.

Neo could only stare at him in disbelief, in horror. Her mouth was opened in a silent scream, her voice forever lost.

How could have things gone so wrong? They had a plan. Sauron had identified the Apprentice's weakness. His heart, it was what bounded him to the power of the river.

.

.

.

Then the prospect of him being the one that was hit by the sickle caught up to him.

 _'Ugrrhl!'_ Sauron snarled in pain, as the sickle cut across Jaune's chest. Jaune himself was currently incapable of making a noise, wether the fact he was going into shock or the sickle had cut through something important. The Apprentice had sensed his surprise attack, and had twisted his body to attack Jaune, as if his flesh was as flexible as thin rubber.

The light cackling emitting from Crocea Mors helped ground Jaune back into reality. He had a plan to kill this 'puppet master' as Sauron elequoently put. Lightning, Sauron had said, would be his down fall.

 _'Finish this. Before we no longer possess the strength to finish through it. '_ Sauron wearily said, the first time the old Maiar had ever shown such a lack of strength. Jaune himself wasn't feeling any better. The presence of his soul, which he had been accustomed to as a fiery warmth, was now slowly dying down. He needed to finish this. Now.

 _'I have found that when man is down, when they are hurt and beaten, that's what they are at their strongest. That's when their feä reveals itself. Let that same strength flow through you, as it has for the generations of man before you.'_

Jaune noted that the Apprentice's strike had left him open. The necromancer had expected for Jaune to crumble over from his wounds, which he most likely would, and had let his attack to be far more dramatic than a warrior should allow.

Jaune had found his chance.

 **X.**

He did not expect for the ignorant boy to retaliate.

He didn't expect for a sword that had the power of lightning shattered on its blade to pierce his chest. His heart, found itself wrapping around the peircing sword. His one link to the fragile chains of mortality. His anchor to the physical realm, which if he did not have, his spirit would forever be lost in the ether.

The principle of water which he had followed through for decades, was failing him. Water was supposed to have replaced most of his flesh, which would help him control and re-stitch the life water in other beings. But now, his successful experiments and results were being torn apart right in front of him. Lightning crackled through his body, destroying the bonds he held with the river of life and leaving him weakened and vulnerable.

More out of desperation then anger or wrath, the trusted sickle that the Seventh had given him swung through the old sword that protruded from his chest. The blade snapped like a metal twig, age seemingly catching up to the weapon.

The Arc fell backwards, his wound bleeding heavily, and his broken sword in hand. His life force was weakening, his chains to mortality loosening. Yet, he dared not try and call upon the river of lie that dwelled in the boy. Something else resided in him that required further studying.

Too bad that studying anomalies would be the last coherent thought that he would think.

His heart finally gave out.

 **X.**

Neo watched in awe as she lay on the ground, as the black hood of the Apprentice began to drag into itself. The snapped shard of Jaune's sword as well began to be dragged into the center of the necromancer's body. The trinkets, baubles, and even the the sickle he had used were all being sucked into the singularity that was born in his chest.

Jaune himself was on the ground, his wound bleeding heavily. His eyes were closed, and fear struck her heart as she hastily made her way to him.

He had saved her. Either intentionally or inadvertently, he had managed to take the Apprentice's eyes off of her and her unfortunate situation. And now he was dying because of his attempts.

Not before taking his pound of flesh though.

"Fools! Do you think that this is the end! What has seen the abyss can no longer be influenced by it! I, Salorn, wielder of the river of life can not be killed so easily! I will return servants of the Queen! Let her know that the dead will soon eat her shadows away! The day of the Necromancers will come!" The Apprentice chorused as his body began to be destroyed.

"Oghhurhduh!" The Apprentice gurgled out as his body began to be sucked into the portal from the inside out. Great volumes of water were funneling into the circular rip in space, and soon enough the entirety of his being was vanishing into the void. Great echoes and soft thundering escaped from the hole in his chest, and slowly the portal began to shrink. Then, brilliantly in a flash of white, nothing of the Apprentice remained. Only the shard of Jaune's sword was left. It lay on the ground, covered in red blood and seemingly glowing with moon light.

Then all around them, the corpses began to collapse onto the ground, no longer controlled or fueled by their puppeteer. The Grimm howled and roared in victory and they fell upon the easily meat with relish. They would be distracted for a good while.

Neo would have sighed in relief had it not been for a more pressing matter at hand. Jaune's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow and slow. It seemed to become even more and more labrous with each breath he took.

The sickle's slash had cut clean through the metal plate that should have protected Jaune's chest. It now lay into pieces and the cloth of his coat was being drenched in dark red blood.

Panicking, she tried to seal the wound with her hands, doing nothing but make the blood course out faster and dirtying her hands. She didn't know what to do! She was good at inflicting fatal injuries, but taking care of them? No. She had never dealt with something like this.

"Oh shit! Jaune!", Roman said with genuine worry. The master theif had actually rolled up his sleeves and had taken off his gloves in order to properly tend to Jaune, something he never did because he had complained how it ruined his suit. He gently laid his hands on the wound, and a pale green glow encompassed them.

Roman was attempting to give his aura to Jaune in order to heal him. Something Neo had never witnessed him do. Slowly, the stream of blood that came out, lessened and actually stopped. It seemed that Roman's infusion of aura had momentarily stopped the bleeding, but for how long they didn't know. Jaune needed an actual healer, not some aura infusion or healing dust. They could only do so much.

"Neo. We have to get him somewhere safe. I did all I can do, but he needs real medical attention. Get us to Bombadil's.", Her mentor and guardian said breathlessly. He attempted to stand, but his own wounds and the amount of aura he had used made him stumble back to the ground.

She nodded enthusiasticall, and she placed one of her hands on each of them. Her longing for safety came to her and she used its power to remember Bombadil's cottage in the forest. Her memories of the good times there helped her create a tether with the place.

It was safe there.

They were nice to them. They had welcomed them there with smiles and warm food.

It was home.

Then with a mighty crack, a sound similar to that of breaking glass, they disappeared, leaving very little of their presence there.

Several moments passed, before two Bullheads appeared above, their headlights surveying the deserted marketplace. When they found nothing a lone scream of pain and agony filled the sky. It was a wail like no other, and only those who emitted it would realize what it meant.

A mother was in mourning.

 **X.**

 **Well that's it for this chapter. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it. And thank you guys so much for all the love and support. Truthfully I didn't think this story would make it, but it's uickly becoming far more liked and loved then I actually could ever imagine.**

 **Thank you guys for everything and I'll see you next chapter.**

 **Or if I write a new story. Funny thing about Jaune is that you can do so much with him. And new ideas and stories are born with a snap of your fingers. Plus it hasn't reached the level of the Naruto or Harry fanfics yet so there's plenty of space to think and come up with new original ideas.**


	5. Revelations and Recovery

**Lordofire here. I can't say again how much it means to me for you guys to have show so much love for this story. Without you guys giving me this type of support, I wouldn't be able to continue. So hopefully you enjoy this one.**

 **X.**

Jaune wasn't sure how long he was trapped in the loop of waking up and falling unconscious again. It was a constant repeat of forcing his eye lids open, as if they were weighed down by several heavy weights, and gaze around for a minuscule amount of time before he was forced to close them again and he surrendered himself to the darkness.

At first, his body burned with an agonizing blaze that slowly dimmed at one point before it returned with a tenacious cruelty moments later. At this point though, it was being directed to other parts of his body and soon it was like he was in a haze of fire. Then, a soft flow of relief filled him, entering every vein of his being. He distinctly remembered Sauron's faltering voice, unsure and angry, before he either lost the ability to hear Sauron, or the lesser god had become silent.

There was pressure on the core of the flame, immense pressure, that threatened to rupture the orb of fire in his chest and create a catastrophe. Whispers of a varied selection of indescribable and unintelligible emotions and messages were echoing in his ears. They disturbed him, but they gave him comfort as well. They anchored him to reality, or what he perceived as reality.

He deftly remembered being thrown into oblivion, some form of consciousness making him see a realm of breaking panes of white. It was only for a second though, before darkness returned.

Then the cold came. It was a winter breeze that threatened to shatter his skin and bite his very soul with its ferocity. It came in waves, storms upon blizzards, and blizzards upon winter itself. He was trapped within the abyss of ice, the prison of a neverending eons of cold.

Warmth covered him then. Greats heaps of it were gently applied to him, and Jaune vaguely recalled the feeling of something soft from beneath him. It shielded him from the winter, and he could feel his body relax as the warm and soft feelings helped nurse the chilling presence of ice from his soul. And it seems that the application of warmth to the outside of his body, helped fuel the birth of flame within his body as well.

No longer was there an empty void within him. Now, there were great cores of flames, merging into a star in the center of his chest. It's fire spread through him, and even though it was blocked by a great obstacle that spanned most of his chest, it eventually overcame it and spread its rejuvenating healings throughout his very being.

With his body stabilized, and in a prime position for his mind to finally start up again.

It was slow at first, as he was exposed to all his senses again. It was an overload of sensory sensations that left him tired and disoriented at first, but as time passed, Jaune could feel realization and knowledge course back into him.

He was in a soft bed, covered in heaps of warming blankets that were wrapped around him tightly. A cackling fire was nearby, if evident by the snaps of burning woods and the radiant heat it gave off. Jaune realeased a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and relaxed back into the mattress, enjoying the cool feel of the covers and pillow.

The resting knight just laid there, ignorant of what had happened to him and the reason why he was in the unfamiliar bed. He just laid there, resting and recuperating from an injury he didn't remember receiving.

Suddnely, however, a tidal wave of memories and recollections slammed into him, and he jolted up in remembrance. He instantly regretted it however.

A painful tightening seared into his chest, and Jaune stalled his movements in order to stop himself from injuring himself further. His breathing became labored as he leaned back into the pillows, his hand attempting to soothe his chest through the equally unfamiliar silky smooth night shirt he was wearing. Underneath the fabric, there was some coarse linens that were wrapped tightly around his chest, and he noticed that there was a slight tint of red to the white bandages.

 _'I would be less hasty if I were you, fool. You are recovering from a lethal injury and our feä has been drained immensely. It would be wise indeed for us to recover and assess our situation right now, instead of panic and make it worse for ourselves.'_ The familiar snark from Sauron brought him some level of comfort.

'How long have we been like this?' Jaune asked the Maiar, as he took a moment to scan the room they were in. It was a cozy place, with wooden walls, strong and sturdy, along with various decorations and trinkets strewn about on shelves and bookcases. On the left side of his bed, there were some rich, cream colored carpets that covered the floor, along with a small night stand next to his bed. There was a table further to his left, along with a couch chair, and several more bookcases, with a variety of tomes packed neatly into the wooden confines.

To his right, the floor was brick like. It was most likely to prevent an unintentional fire, from the fire place that blazed with a healthy flame. There was a basket of wooden logs nearby, as well as several metal instruments that helped manipulate the fire. It was a comfortable place, Jaune deduced as he eased himself into a sitting position.

 _'I am not quite sure. I only regained my consciousness when you recovered yours. Be on guard. This place is unfamilar and we are lacking any means of protecting ourselves.'_ Sauron advised. _'It would be wise for us to scope out our location and garner any information we can, before we plan a course of action.'_

Jaune felt a tinge of fear flow with him as he realized where he was. He was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar place, with no weapons or armor. Not to mention he was still wounded and restrained by his injury.

Slowly, he pulled off the numerous blankets that had been piled onto him and he gently placed his legs on the edge off the bed, before he slowly pushed himself up. Luckily he found that he had some silky pajama pants on, that were quite comfortable and shined like silver. Immediately his legs buckled and he nearly fell back, were it not for Jaune quickly stabilizing himself on the night stand.

With a push, he managed to firmly plant himself on the ground without any other support, and began to tread forward. It wasn't that Jaune as weak. Far from it actually. It was just that his legs felt like they were attached to great slabs of lead. The carpet was luckily warm, as Jaune's bare feet trudged along its surface.

 _'Let us explore.'_ Sauron said with a slightly sarcastic tone as they neared the door. Jaune carefully turned the cold metal knob, not wanting to draw attention to himself, and silently pulled the door open. The old wooden door creaked quietly as it was pulled open and Jaune's bare feet landed on cool, wooden flooring.

Jaune found himself on the second floor of a large wooden cabin. There was a wooden railing infront of him, and Jaune peaked down into to the first floor of the building.

Benwath him, was a generically cozy flooring and decorations of a normal cabin in the woods. Nothing too special, save the roaring fireplace that sent flickers of orange of throughout the house. Thick fur carpets covered the floor beneath him, and great couches were situated in comfortable near the roaring blaze.

Red sunlight was peaking from the windows, but Jaune had no idea wether it was the rising sun, or the dying of the day. Either way, Jaune wanted to continue to explore the house he was currently in.

That is until he turned to his left, ready to go down the nearby stairwell, and found a very displeased Neo staring at him. She was looking far better since Jaune had last seen her. How long ago that was, Jaune had no idea, but she was at least wearing fresh clothes and she didn't look as tired she did during the battle.

 _'She does not look pleased.'_ Sauron observed, as the short girl only stared at them with disapproving eyes, her eyes tracing over him.

"Hey Neo. How have you been?" He asked politely. She just shook her head in exasperation and stalked towards him, and with a small, dainty finger, applied pressure to the area of his chest where the bandages were bound.

Jaune nearly keeled over from the pain that speared through his chest. He could mentally recall Sauron's own call of agony. He would have fallen to his knees, were it not for Neo catching him. He spared a glance at her, and she had panicked expression adorned on her face. She gently began to half drag him into his room, and helped him ease back into bed. At this point, Jaune had started coughing harshly due to the pain, and tears were staining his eyes.

Neo looked around frantically, before with a crack of white, she disappeared, leaving a slowly recovering Jaune behind. He just sat there, wiping the tears of pain from his eyes, while he struggled to regain control of his breathing.

 _'You mortals need stronger bodies.'_ Sauron complained as he helped redirect some aura to Jaune's afflicted chest. While incapable of speech in his current state, Jaune was still capable of communicating to Sauron via his usual methods.

'I don't hear you coughing? Do I!?' He accused as his coughing fit stopped. Sauron only grunted in amusement before he responded, _'I do not have corporeal lungs fool. While the pain you are experiencing right now, is uncomfortable, I do not experience it the same way you do'_

'That isn't fair at all.' Jaune complained.

 _'Do not talk to me about being fair. You are not the one currently in a lesser being's head.'_

Jaune only growled at that comment. The sound of breaking glass roused his attention, and Jaune shifted his head to his left. Neo appeared again, this time with a large glass and a pitcher of chilled water in her hands. She poured a generous amount of water into the glass and she proudly presented it to Jaune. He gave her a smile in return, before he took the glass and began to drink from it.

It wasn't until that he pressed the glass to his lips and allowed the water to slide down his throat, when Jaune realized just how thirsty he truly was. The water might as well as been ice, as the refreshing liquid spread its cool magic through him. It healed his sore throat and it brought relief to his lungs.

 _'Our body has not been properly nurtured while in your unconcious state. After we gather more information, I suggest that we find some delectable morsels for you to consume. Particularly something sweet.'_ Sauron urged as Jaune downed another glass of water. He gave the empty glass back to Neo, who put it on his night stand along with the pitcher, before he attempted to sit up again. Rather promptly, Neo gently placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down, shaking her head with disapproval. She straightened back up and pointed her finger at him in a gesture for him to stay put.

"Why?" Jaune questioned, more so for Sauron's curiosity, who was beginning to voice his longing for foods in Jaune's head.

"Because, my protégé, you have just recently recovered from a rather lethal wound, and you shouldn't be stressing it.", Roman said as he entered the room. He too, was looking well dressed and far better then when Jaune last remembered. All though, is right sleeve had been rolled up due to the bandage that was wrapped around his upper arm.

"So do tell why you were out of bed, even though your chest had been slashed open and is currently healing?"Roman asked as he peered down at the bed ridden Jaune.

"I was hungry, so I went to get food.", Jaune answered honestly. His stomach was currently rumbling and protesting the lack of contents of it.

"Hmmmmm,", Roman hummed as he examined him. "Neo? Be a dear and bring our young knight some breakfast please? He'll need it." Neo nodded in agreement, before she once again disappeared in a flash of white.

Her sudden departure left the two men in the room, and an undistinguishable silence cloaked them. Jaune was familiar with Roman, they were friends if Jaune was being generous to himself, but he had absolutely no idea what to discus with the man. Judging by how Sauron had not added his own input, the Maiar also had no thoughts on how to start the conversation.

 _'Why not ask him about what were the events that transpired?'_ Sauron questioned as his portion of the contribution to their current problem.

'And then we ask him where we are?' Jaune asked for confirmation. All he received was a grunt for an affirmative.

"So. What exactly happened to me?" The knight questioned his mentor. Roman gave him a smirk, before he positioned himself on the small cushioned couch that his room was equipped with.

"Before I answer that question, how much do you last remember?" Roman inquired as he leaned his hands and head on Melodic Cudgel.

Jaune would never admit that he needed Sauron's help to recall his last memories of that night. His head, however, was a jumbled mess of incoherent and hazy remembrances. It was such a chore for Jaune to piece together his last conscious night, that he didn't even need to ask for Sauron's help. The Maiar had wordlessly helped sort them for Jaune.

"We fought the Necromancer's apprentice, and... I stabbed him.", Jaune remembered as his memories began to clear and rearrange themselves into the correct timeline. He unconsciously ghosted his hand over his bandaged chest, the immense pain he had felt that night haunting him.

"Yes. Got yourself pretty cut up there. But managed to kill him, or as close to killing him as we ever got. You pretty much saved our rear ends.", Roman said, filling the blanks in Jaune's memories. "But you were hurt badly. Healing dust wouldn't help much and my infusion of my aura into you, would only delay the inevitable. I had Neo teleport is to a safe house, where a friend of ours patched you up. Since the operation, you've been unconcious for about two days."

Jaune had to blink for a few second and think of the information that he was given before he began to sputter out, "Tw-two days?"

Roman nodded grimly. "It was touch and go for a few moments during the healing progress. You lost a lot of blood. Gave us quite a scare.", he said with a weak smile.

 _'I feel as though that time becomes distorted when you close your eyes. It certainly did not feel like two day.'_ Sauron said, as Jaune continued to connect and consider what Roman had said.

"And I think I owe you an apology."

Both Jaune and Sauron looked up in surprise. Roman had looked away and an expression of pain was adorned on his face. His bowler hat had been taken off and he was clutching it in his right hand, while his free hand clutched his cane.

"I'm sorry that I dragged you into this game of ours. Someone as young and ignorant as you shouldn't have faced that necromancer. Now you're wounded, and you now have a target on your back. But there's nothing I can do, however. You will forever have the eyes of the dead following you, wherever you go.", he said with a grimace.

"What happened to Canvas?!" Jaune suddenly blurted out. The prospect of his town, his home being destroyed, bringing fear and worry into his heart. He didn't need to worry about his family however. The Arc family had been through far greater threats and events then the siege of a town. They had existed before the Great War, prospered through it, and survived to the present day.

That didn't stop the ache in his heart from their absence.

"From what my contacts say, all the evacuees have been moved to Atlas while the Valean military and hunters secure Canvas from the Grimm and help rebuild its defenses. Most likely, your family has been transported to Atlas. I can take you there if you want." Roman offered.

"Really?!" Jaune asked with glee. He could feel Sauron churn with anticipation within him.

"Yes. Although our methods will have to be a bit...unorthodox. We aren't exactly on the best of terms with Atlas."' Roman said with a tone that claimed there was more to the story.

"What do you mean by that?" The knight asked.

"Its not important now. I'll tell you later, but first I believe Neo has arrived with your breakfast.", Roman said as he stood up to his full height. He quickly made his way to the door and opened it, revealing Neo carrying a large tray full of breakfast delights. Roman quickly stepped to the side as she came inside. Carefully she set the tray on a Jaune's lap, and stepped to the side to allow Jaime to gaze in wonder at the spread of food infront of him.

 _'What a beautiful display of delicious morsels! I have seen very few things that are more marvelous than the sight before me.'_ Sauron admired the tray of delicious food before them. Jaune's stomach grumbled painfully as his appetite was unsatisified by merely just looking at it.

Four, well cooked sunny side up eggs, salty and still sizzling. Thin slices of a dark roasted meat, most likely the flesh of cow, with its juices sweating out of the flesh. Perfectly toasted bread were accompanied by a generous helping of ruby jelly. Two glasses sat balanced on the tray, one filled with chilled orange juice and the other with satisfying milk.

"All for you. Just take it slow. You wouldn't want to overdue it, would you?" Roman warned. But his cautions fell upon deaf ears, as Jaune practically inhaled the food. He never knew how hungry he was until he chewed his first bite of egg, steak, and toast, and allowed the brilliant and rich taste to permeate in his mouth. Jaune was, after all, eating for two starved individuals, who also had an exquisite desire for good food.

 _'Gold and precious gems are of no value compared to the food that you mortals have gifted yourselves with."_ Sauron praised as Jaune consumed a self made steak and egg sandwich. It had only been around seven minutes and already more than half of the tray's content was gone. Roman and Neo only watched in awe as Jaune effectively downed a meal that was meant for three with little to no effort.

Jaune refreshed himself with both glasses of orange juice and milk, draining the cups rather quickly. With a satisfied sigh, he placed the empty tray on the nightstand to his left. A pleasant, heavy feeling lulled him back under the covers of his bed, and he visibly relaxed into the pure softness of it all. A fatigue washed over him and he quickly lied down in order to satiate the need for sleep.

 _'We are far more spent that I had originally thought. We still need vast amounts of rest.'_ Sauron said sleepily, noting how exquisite the bedding and blankets felt. Jaune's eyes closed as a small hand began to rumb his head. They opened suddenly and they found that Neo had pulled up the chair and was sitting next to him, rubbing his head with her hand, a content smile on her face. Jaune would usually be flustered by such an act, but he saw no harm in it, and allowed the soothing massage to continue. Her cold hand did feel rather nice against his forehead. He released a sigh, and closed his eyes in order to enjoy the sensation of her hand.

 _'You would be a fool to close your eyes and sleep. This is obviously a test. No matter how pleasant her hands on your head may feel, you have to stay awake.'_ Sauron urged. Even the Maiar, however, was feeling the effects of her soothing touch.

Soon enough, Jaune was sound asleep, his breathing even and light. But Neo just continued to stroke his head, a content smile on her face. Roman could only smirk has he gazed at his two younger partners in crime. Those two would grow up to be some of the most successful Hunters of the underground if they wanted to pursue that line of work. Well, Neo was already in the business, but Jaune still had his future infront of him.

The door to the room opened and a rather portly man entered. He wore rather old, but still vibrant dark blue robes, with a matching hat. A wild, unkept beard with the color of deep mahogany brown, and with trails of grey strands of hair running down its length, hung from the man's face has he stepped inside.

"A good morning to you Roman and Neo.", he said happily. Roman only gave his old friend a nod, as well has Neo, who was still preoccupied by soothing Jaune. "Has our mutual friend awoken yet?"

"Yeah. Our resident Sleeping Beauty woke up a few minutes, ate a breakfast fit for three, and then promptly fell fast asleep.", Roman said with a small smile. He turned to his friend and said. " I'm sorry for the intrusion Tom, and all the trouble we've put you through. We'll be gone by next week I promised."

Tom let out a jubilant laugh at the idea. "Nonsense! Any friend of Tom Bombadil is free to stay as long as they want to! Especially you Roman, for everything you've done for us!" The man continued to laugh and actually clapped a large hand on Roman's back.

Roman grimaced at the gesture, not out of pain since he had aura and his friend was not trying to hurt him, but he knew his suit would be slightly crinkled by such efforts. He could buy a new one the next time they visited another city. That would be two suits he would need to replace.

"You two can come down and have breakfast with me and Goldberry. I hear she's making pancakes today!", he said excitedly and he quickly went out of the room to head down to the dining room beneath them. Roman just shook his head in a good natured manner as he watched his friend's odd behavior. If one knew Tom Bombdil, however, they would know that the man's eccentricities and oddities were completely normal to him and his wife. But that didn't damper the friendship between the two of them, or the fact that Bombadil's cottage was the one safe house that Roman would return to if they didn't have any other options. Too bad that being a gentleman and an upstanding man of society meant that he couldn't mooch off his friends for very long. It just felt wrong to him.

That left him with the problem of finding a place to get himself back on his feet back in the Underworld. Vale was a no go, since Candelight knew that Vale was his most visited city. She'd have her agents there, waiting for him and Neo. Not to mention they'd be searching for the 'Arc Angel' that they knew he had been in contact with. Jaune would be in danger again.

That left him with Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas. If anything, Atlas would be their best bet, as the survivors and refugees of Canvas would be heading there instead if Vale's capital where his former boss's agents lay in wait. They would never suspect for him to head to the home continent of his worst enemy, the SDC. Nor for him to work for said company. Sometimes the way to avoid one enemy, was to hide behind another. It would also give him the chance to send Jaune back to his life family.

All of that could wait, however. Now, they all needed to rest, and he wanted to get Jaune a replacement weapon. A broken sword would only get you so far in the world. Especially in the job they would have to undertake in order to successfully get into Atlas and the SDC.

"Come now Neo. You can take care of your boyfriend when we get some breakfast.", Roman said teasingly, earning a crumpled up napkin to be thrown at his face. Neo looked at him with an upset pout, but still soothing Jaune's head with her hand.

"Alright, my mistake. Your future husband to be.", he replied.

Her pout only became more defined and she began to angrily wave her arms up and down. Roman only smirked in return and began to walk out of the room, followed by a blushing Neo who was beating her fist against his back. Not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough to let him know she was upset.

Some times it was truly too easy to mess with her.

 **X.**

 _'I can't believe you allowed us for us to fall asleep again.'_ Sauron complained as Jaune once again opened his eyes. He had to blink the grogginess out of his eyes, a sign of a good nap. Slowly he raised himself out of his bed, and sleepily rubbed his eyes.

'Its not all my fault. It's not like you tried and helped me stay awake.' Jaune shot back at his mental partner.

 _'How could I have done that?! It's your body, not mine fool_ . _You've should have had better control over it.'_ The Maiar responded. Jaune only signed in frustration before he looked to his left, and to his shock he found that Neo was laying on the couch chair, her legs hanging off one side, while watching her scroll, and eating a bowl of ice cream. She looked at him in surprise, before she placed down her scroll and bowl on the ground and she turned to face him.

"How long have I been asleep this time?" Jaune asked.

Neo took a look at her scroll on the ground, and promptly held up four fingers.

"Damn. Can I go down the stairs this time, or are you going to stop me?"

She held her chin with her right hand in a thinking pose, before she nodded her head in confirmation. Jaune eagerly, but carefully got out of bed, and made his way to the door, only for Neo's small hands to stop him in his place. He looked down questioningly, at her but she stood defiant. She quickly maneuvered herself around his arm, and Jaune soon found himself being supported by the shorter girl.

 _'She believes you are too weak to support yourself down the stairs. How far my vessel's body has fallen.'_ Sauron complained dramatically.

'You try getting your chest cut through. See what happens then.' The young knight shot back, as Neo helped them down the stairs. Not that Jaune needed the aid going down the stairs, but with her threatening to poke his injured chest again, he had wisely backed down and allowed her to help him go down the stairs.

The ground floor of the cottage was far more expansive than the second floor. While the the second floor was dedicated to bedrooms, the first floor had a living room, kitchen, dining room, and even a library. It wasn't as big as the Arc Manor, but it was cozy and had all the amenities that a modern home could have. It even had a large scroll screen in the living room.

"Oh, seems that our resident knight as woken up!" A voice like honey called out as head poked out of the kitchen. She had beautiful, refined features, with sharp green eyes that bled happiness and joy, and a river of platinum blonde hair, that shone like gold and silver. Her dress was similar to the pines of evergreens, with its dark green coloring.

However, no comfort was felt by Jaune as he stared at the woman. Pure, icy fear speared his heart, and thunderous shock shot through him like lightening. None of it his own.

 _'Impossible. This is impossible.'_ Sauron muttered as Jaune continued to stare at the woman. Neo quickly lead him to the dining room table, and Jaune allowed himself the decency and dignity to seat himself.

"Neo can you head down to the market for me? I need some specific items for tonight's dinner. We're also running out of ice cream.", she said politely. In a blur of movement, Neo found herself in front of the woman, waiting for the list of ingredients and lien that she was provided. Then, with a crack of white lightening , she disappeared from the dining room, leaving the women and an increasingly scared Jaune behind.

 _'Be wary of this woman. She is not who you think she is. She is old, dangerous, and powerful.'_ The Maiar warned. Jaune felt himself straighten up in fear, as the woman took a seat right next to him. She had a playful smile adorned on her, and there was a teasing hint in her eyes. She knew something.

"You feeling better?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence between them. Jaune could feel Sauron's bewilderment as the woman questioned them about Jaune's state.

"Uhhh...Yeah! I'm great! Just tired and my chest is sore. I owe you a lot Mrs...?" Jaune trailed off in hopes of getting the name of the women that Sauron feared and who saved his life.

She gave a chuckle before she answered him. "You can call me Goldberry. But I suppose you already have an inkling of who I am?" Her tone hinted that she knew far more than she let on, and all she did was laugh at Jaune's fearful expression.

"I've never met you before. I have no idea who you are.", Jaune was lucky enough to get his sentence out without stuttering . He was even luckier that it even sounded believable. Too bad they all knew that was a lie.

 _'I had thought that your skill with deception would be higher than this miserable attempt.'_ Sauron berated him.

"It seems that Sauron hasn't passed down his skills with words and wits yet. But it was an admirable try dear.", Goldberry laughed, her laughter like that of a soft stream of water. It might as well have been a tidal wave of intensely chilled water, due to the fact that both he and Sauron froze.

 _'She knows.'_ Sauron hissed.

"At this point, I'd assume he is most likely astounded that I know that he is within you. Young man, I'll let you know that I'm a lot older than I appear. Just don't ask for exact years. It would be rude and I wouldn't be able to answer that question.", the mysterious women continued to speak.

"How do you know?" Jaune asked fearfully. Goldberry only gave him a happy, patient look.

"Like I said, I'm a lot older than I look. In fact I believe I'm as old as your _feä_ partner. If not, then older.", She said, looking him straight in the eye. Jaune also had the sensation that she wasn't only looking at him as well.

 _'There is no point in trying to deceive her now. She knows that I am within you. Tell her that age means nothing to us. We are as infinite as the stars themselves.'_ Sauron told Jaune.

"He says that you both are as infinities as the stars.", Jaune relayed Sauron's message to Goldberry. She only laughed heartedly, the comforting sound of her laughter bringing some levels of comfort back to Jaune.

"It really is him! It's been too long. Although, it seems only you, Marion, have lasted even longer than the stars themselves! None of the elder stars remain, they all have been replaced by newer stars. The new gods have been busy trying to update the universe. They'll need to be replaced soon enough, however, they're getting old.", she spoke with a distant voice. "Mortality has had its drawbacks and perks."

 _'You are mortal now?'_

'You are mortal now?' They both asked at the same time, each one with a different tone. Sauron's response was full of disbelief and outrage, while Jaune's was full of questioning and wonder.

"Hmmm, perhaps you two are more intune than I originally thought.", Goldberry hummed, as her eyes narrowed into daggers of emerald. "But yes, since Allfather Eru Illuvatar was replaced by another God to govern Creation, the Auinur began to fade, as well as the dwarves and elves. You must have felt their passing Sauron. That's why you choose to strike now. Because you thought you had an opening to seize control of the world once again.", she deduced easily.

 _'...'_ Sauron remained silent as his plan from a week ago was revealed to Goldberry.

'She isn't wrong, you know?' Jaune piped up.

 _'Be quiet mortal fool. I have already apologized for trying to steal your feä.'_ Sauron signed, a mental image of the Maiar pressing his face into his hand in irritation.

'No you didn't.' The mortal shot back.

 _'Yes I did. I distinctly remember apologizing for trying to snuff out your feä fire.'_

'No you didn't. I would have remembered if you did.'

 _'Well it seems you have missed your chance fool. It is most unlikely that you will ever hear me try and apologize for a perfectly justified action that I have committed.'_ Sauron defended himself.

Jaune could only sigh in exasperation, before the realization that there was someone else in the room with them, waiting on Maune in their conversation. He spared a look at Goldberry, who only looked at him with kind eyes and a small smirk.

"Sorry.", Jaune mumbled in apology. She only shook her head in a good natured way, before she responded.

"That happen a lot? Conversation between you two?" The primeval lady of the rivers and waters of old asked him. "I would assume that such talks between the two of you would be extremely...interesting. Especially with Sauron's displacement with modern times. I assure you that me and my husband took awhile to accommodate to all the wonders that Men has developed through the years. We've even heard of them being able to make their own life and reach to the stars in great ships of steel and metal.", she said with a far away look.

Jaune stared in wonder at how in awe she was of all Man had achieved. Or the fact that she was questioning how conversations between him and his soul partner were going.

 _'Do remember that the sharing of our two feäs in something that is extremely rare. Even exceedingly more rare when you think of the massive differences between ours. Not to mention, the Men of our age were always seen as the weakest of the mortal races that possessed sentience. The Elves were the favored children of the Valar and the Dwarves had mighty kingdoms born from the very fabric and riches of the world. Men had none of these gifts, but here you are, thriving in an age eons beyond elves and dwarves.'_ Sauron explained. _'Truly, your species's ability to have the tenacity and life span of vermin is quite admirable.'_

''I'd assume at this point he will be telling you on how weak Men are. I'll also wager that he's told you why he thinks this world is doomed. Well, I may not know the mind of my creator, I would deem you as the champion of Men. You will be the one who will change Sauron's view of the world and of your race. I wish you the best of luck.", she said as she gripped his arm with a comforting grip. Jaune would never allow himself to think it, but that gesture brought him a lot of comfort and satification.

"Now let's get you some lunch. I'd bet it would be greatly appreciated by the both of you.", she said with a kind smile. Jaune only nodded eagerly, hunger eating away at his stomach. He also hear no complaints come from Sauron, meaning that lunch would be met with no resistance. She smiled in response, before she walked back into the kitchen, leaving Jaune and Sauron alone with their thoughts.

They sat there, pondering of recent events. The fact that someone from Sauron's age had survived for this long and knew the old Dark Lord was a lot to take in. Both for Sauron and Jaune.

'I thought you said everyone from your race faded away?" Jaune questioned the previously thought last of the Auinur.

 _'I had believed so as well. I did not expect any others to remain, let alone the Lady of the Rivers, or the Lord of the Forests.'_ Sauron answered back.

'So are they Maiar as well?"

 _'No. Neither are they of the Valar. They are of a different race and make. Powerful as the Maiar and as wise as the Valar, they both resided in Middle Earth during both the Original Dark Lord's reign as well as mine. They did not interfere though. They were far more content to stay within their cottage than help change the world._ 'Sauron explained. _'Be wary though. They most likely did not survive the eons of my absence without their strength. Do your best to not aggravate them with your foolishness.'_

'I'm not that annoying.'

 _'I beg to differ. I find myself constantly being annoyed by your ignorance and foolishness.'_

'Well I don't think your the best option for patience and character judgement.' Jaune snidely commented, gaining a snort from Sauron.

 _'I suppose you're right.'_

Their conversation, however, was interrupted by Goldberry returning to the dining table. She was holding as plate with a steaming heap of ham, potatoes, bacon, and cheese. Its form was quite similar to that of lasagna and the visual and smell made Jaune almost salivate as she placed the plate in front of him. His stomach grolwed once again, as she placed the a glass of water and asome silverware next to him.

 _'What a deviously designed morsel. It's a layered array of heavenly sliced potatoes and cooked meat, with a topping of melted cheese that help elevate the flavor while adding this own unique flavor to the mix. It must have been a labor to create this masterpiece. I must wonder why she would care for us though.'_ Sauron wondered as Jaune prepared to dig into his lunch.

'Did you fight with her and her husband?' Jaune asked.

 _'Not directly. Some of my minions may have wandered into their forest, but I did not personally engage them in a fight. However, they may still harbor ill feelings towards my affiliation and position. One does not easily forget the feats of war and grandeur I committed as the Dark Lord. Nor how many fell to my armies or my own hands. Make_ _an inquiry on why she hasn't become hostile towards us. I would like to know why she hasn't taken the chance to permanently down a Dark Lord.'_ The primeval Dark Lord said, pondering on the actions of the godlike beings who were hosting them.

"Uhh Mrs. Goldberry?" Jaune spoke out to the leaving women. She turned around with a questioning look on her face.

"I was wondering why you've been so nice to me. Even when you know who's inside me, you've been so nice to me. If it wasn't for you, I probably be dead.", Jaune asked, looking at her expectingly.

She released a sigh, and closed her eyes, allowing herself to take a deep breath. When she breathed out, she turned to Jaune with a serious expression on her face.

"To be perfectly honest, I do not hate you, child. I hate the being that resides with you.", she said, her voice as icy as Galadriel's message from a week ago. "I shouldn't, since Sauron has already served his sentence and punishment. For every life that was taken for his cause, he would remain in the void for an eon. I would have guesssed that he would have faded away during his punishment, but somehow, after countless eons in the void, he remained strong enough to latch himself to a soul."

Jaune could feel the cold rage emnanted form the Lady of Rivers, who continued to vent her frustrations and angers about Sauron. Gone was the kind women who had served him lunch, only a few minutes ago. Now, there was an angry, former god, of an age eons ago.

 _'As I suspected. She still harbors some hatred towards me.'_ The Dark Lord noted. _'It is good that my reputation precedes me.'_

"How can one forget the hundreds of streams and rivers that he polluted with the blood of mortals? How can one forgive for all the screams of anger, pain, and fear that filled the sky as the mortals waged war against him. How can one not become angered, as he twisted his image created by the Allfather, into something degenrate, evil, and **Abhorred**.", she said angrily. Her voice sang like a flooding river, wisps and memories of her previous godhood escaping and empowering her voice. While it didn't make it louder, it made her voice far more noticeable.

At this point, she was breathing heavily, her anger and rant stripping her of her strength. She spared a glance at Jaune, who at this point had only remained passive due to Sauron's fortitude, and stared back at her without a hint of emotion on his face. She gulped before she spoke once again, this time in a much softer voice.

"I'm sorry that you heard that. Do know that I have no hatred or negative thoughts or feelings towards you. In fact I admire your strength in dealing with the second Dark Lord. Many strong mortals have fallen under his influence, and have been corrupted by his evil and thirst for power. Even the first White Wizard fell to the sin of greed, amd joined Sauron. Yet here you are. Not only resisting his influence, but completely immune to it.", she spoke.

Jaune could only blink at her owlishly. He was quite sure that Sauron had no influence around him that made Jaune want to submit to him. Most of the time the Maiar had just been complaining about his situation, discussing topics of their worlds, or just commenting on the various oddities and aspects of being mortal and living in a modern era.

 _'I just think that you're too ignorant and simple minded to fully understand the influence around me.'_ Sauron commented.

"I'm sorry for my outburst. Do enjoy your lunch. If you want seconds there are some in the kitchen. I have to head to the market to make sure that Neo didn't just buy ice cream. Tom and Roman are in the forge outside the house, if you're looking for them.", she said as she escaped the awkward situation that she created. The primeval lady of the water, escaped the house through the same door that Neo did, leaving Jaune and Sauron to their lonesome and lunch.

'She seems was less composed that I would have expected.' Jaune entally voiced to Sauron.

 _'I told you she is not of the Maiar or Valar. Her mannerisms would fundamentally be different all together, despite being just as old and as powerful as me or my brethren. Her husband is even more odd. We will most likely meet him later, but for now do consume our food before it cools down.'_ Sauron urged him.

Jaune soon found himself spooning a portion of his lunch into his mouth. The potato, cheese, and meat were soft and Jaune's spoon easily cut through them. He eagerly downed his first bite of his meal, and after several moments to savor the taste and for Sauron to catalogue the meal and its taste. It was delicious, and practically melted in Jaune's mouth as he quickly devoured the meal.

It took several minutes of greedy munching and silence, before Jaune downed his helping of lunch. With a satisfied sigh, he relaxed into his chair, and simply enjoyed the aftermath of the food. He idly eyed his empty plate, a certain craving for another helping emanating from Sauron trying to coax him into getting another piece of lunch heaven.

'I can't eat anymore. Don't tempt me with more food.' Jaune voiced to his soul partner.

 _'What is the point of having such delicious foods, when you can't gorge yourself as much as you can?'_ Sauron inquired.

'Because I would get sick. Ever heard of the saying, 'Too much of a good thing is bad?' Well that's a very true statement."

 _'No matter. We can discuss the flaws of your mortal race later. For now, let us see the forge that the Lady of the River told us about. I am eager to see what metallurgy that the Lord of the Forest is capable of.'_ The Maiar urged, forcing Jaune to leave the table.

With a sigh of tiredness, Jaune surrendered against the Maiar's wishes and proceeded to pick up his plate and bring it to the kitchen sink. It was the least he could do for his hosts, and his mother's lessons on courtesy and manners came back to him. As well as a certain ache in his heart. He missed his family dearly, and the prospect of being so far away from them while in the house of a relatively unknown stranger brought some fear to his heart. Loneliness seeped into his heart, like ice.

 _'Stand strong Jaune. This is the time for you to grow strong and powerful. Return to your family as a strong warrior to prove yourself. Besides, you are never alone. You have the greatest of the Maiar accompanying you.'_ Sauron reassured him. _'You're family is also strong. For Men at least, but still at this point in time they are most likely a pillar of support and defiance._

 **X.**

The Arc Manor had always been a happy, comfortable place. The family there had always been a pillar of war against the Grimm. Always ready to cheer people up in order to minimize negativity, or ready to fight off said Grimm with brawn and brains. Their weapons had become legends, and the Arc family's name had become well known through the frontier towns as great paragons and defenders of the innocent.

For the past three days however, they had been totally miserable. A cloud of gloom seemed to hang over the house and all of its residents within. It trailed them everywhere they went, and the dark cloud only seemed to grow stronger.

A valued and loved family member had been killed. Jaune Arc, loving brother and incredible son, had fallen against the Grimm in order to get his mother to safety. Nothing remained of him but a large portion of the fabled Crocea Mors, the shard of mysterious metal coated in the blood of Grimm and the unknown walking dead that had attacked Canvas. He had gone down like an Arc, and judging by the various new scratches and imperfections on the blade, he had brought down quite a few Grimm with him. The fragment of the Yellow Death now lay in an oriental glass case in the living room, where each family member paid it respect everyday.

Each of the sisters, from the youngest pair of twins, Lapis and Luli, to the eldest of them, Diamond, were all miserable. Not a single one of them had a dried face, and each had taken a different route in coping with the grief. Diamond, and the eldest twins, Violet and Petal, were throwing themselevs into their duties as huntresses. Their anger over Jaune's death lead to them brandishing their weapons against training dummies, and the stray Grimm alike. Their precious little brother had been taken from them too early, and the monsters responsible would feel their wrath.

* * *

Diamond allowed her favored weapon, Alba Mors, to tear through the Grimm that had been attracted to the still recovering town. With the initial wave of beasts killed off by the joint operations of the Valean military and a nearby Atlas cruiser, the town had been given the nessecary equipment, supplies,and manpower to repair its walls and infrastructure.

However, that meant they needed more Hunters to help coordinate and defend the recovering town. Thus all available, nearby Hunters had been called in and Diamond had been happy to volunteer.

Her swordspear drilled its way through the head of an Ursa Major, and the great beast shuddered before it fell over, dead. She quickly pulled it out, and with a practiced motion, she twirled her weapon in a great arc, decaptiating several encroaching Beowolves.

What was the point of her skill in battle if she was too scared to even fight? When her mother had jumped out of their Bullhead, she had been frozen with fear and indecision. Perhaps if she had more courage that day, she could have joined her mother and saved her brother. Tears brimmed at her eyes as her weakness came to haunt her.

Who was the first one to greet her and congratulate her when she returned home when she passed her Huntresses Exam? The most stressful thing she had ever done in her life, and which took her eight hours to fully complete. When she returned home at nearly four in the morning, only Jaune had remained awake, waiting with a small cake and a banner. There, they had spent hours just talking to each other, Diamond explaining all the aspects of the test and all that awaited him when he became a hunter.

Anger coursed through her again, and she rushed towards more Grimm, willing to try and make up for her sin of omission by flinging her blade into another Beowolf. They had taken away her greatest fan and supporter. They had taken away her favorite Hunter before he could even start his journey to become one.

From the quickly disintegrating corpses, black wisps began to trail to her through the air. They coiled around her before her body soaked them in. A breath escaped her as she stole the power from the Grimm. Her semblance allowed herself to actually steal a portion of a dead Grimm's strength, or to be more precise, the negativity that composed the shadowy beasts. While powerful, the introduction of foreign and powerful negativity only fueled her own negative thoughts, thus drawing in more Grimm. That in itself could be dangerous since her usage of her abilities was not infinite.

But today, as she looked at the pack of Beowolves surround her, she could cut loose.

* * *

While those three waged war in the forest of Canvas, other members of the family had decided to stay at home, in a vain attempt to somehow be closer to Jaune.

Beatrice had locked herself in the library, and was lurking over hundreds of dusty tomes and manuscripts. She was also skimming through the latest news in the medical world. The ink on those yellowed pages, and the calligraphy on her scroll screen helped some of the grief that rolled out of her.

Some.

She was absolutely torn on the lost of her little brother. The same one who would sit with her during those long nights of studying just to give her company. The same one who had helped her study for her medical exam, where had to painstakingly read out apquestions with words that he didn't even know existed.

She remembered when they were both younger, and he always wanted to play with her. She rejected his invitations of course: what good was play when there was so much knowledge to be absorbed?

Now she regretted her decision. What good had the facts and theories in those books she had read been? Where were her skills in combat and medicine been when the town was attacked? She should have done her duties as a field medic and jumped down as soon as she saw Jaune fall out of their Bullhead. While she may have not been as skilled or as strong as Diamond, Beatrice had killed more things then she had saved for a reason.

Sanctus Mors found itself flung across the room, useless to her now. She buried her head into her hands, and sobbed uncontrollably as she angrily mocked herself for her uselessness.

The Grimm had taken away her pillar of support,

The rest of the Arc sisters were just plain miserable. Violet and Petal were silent and their joking attitude had all but disappeared. They had joined Diamond in her defense of the town, and they acted as pair of cold machines, efficient and deadly. What jokes could be made when such a tragedy had befallen the family? Even worse, there was no one to tell the joke to, or to make fun of.

The Grimm had taken away their drive.

Emerald, Lapis, and Luli did nothing but meander around the house, almost like corpses. They were in a daze, quite unsure how to react to Jaune's sudden and untold absence. They were too young to fully comprehend that Jaune would never return to them, no as a coping mechanism, they just became withdrawn and silent.

The Grimm had taken away their brother.

Their parents were not faring any better than their children.

One side of the forest that surrounded Canvas had been razed by immense gouts of flames. The mighty, angry war cries of an Arc sounded through the forest along with the cries and shrieks of agony from Matthias's prey. Ignis Mors mimiced its wielder's anger, and its entire form had been coated in angry red blaze.

The Grimm would know the anger of a father. And they would be the ones to fear this time. The hunters had become the prey in a matter of days. Matthias's own anger had made him dangerous, his grief had fueled the flames of his great axe, and he was a threat to both of the Grimm and any one from Canvas, so the older huntsman had gone solo into the forest. The fire itself would die out quickly, and each Grimm he killed helped bring down his temper and grief. Before long he would return home, drained both physically and mentally.

His mind wandered back to when Jaune had been younger and had looked up at him in wonder as he told his son adventures from his time as an active hunter. He remembered the young boy promising him to tell him his own adventures when Jaune became a hunter himself.

His grip on his trusty axe tightened and the heavy end of his weapon harshened with a great fire. Matthias roared in defiance as he cleaved an Ursa Major in half.

While they all grieved and sobbed over his death. There was only one that possess the most grief.

The one who cried the most, the one who got the angriest, the one who was the most broken up over Jaune's supposed death was none other than his mother.

When Savannah Arc awoke from her short time unconscious, she found herself in the passenger area of a Bullhead, and hope kindled within her. Memories from the past few hours had been shaky and she couldn't quite remember what had happened to her. All that mattered to her at that moment was that she and her baby boy were safe.

Then the soldiers broke the news to her. Her baby was in fact not safe. He had chosen to sacrifice himself to buy the Bullhead time to take off and fly to safety. Jaune Arc, who had never even attended a combat school, had chosen to fight an S-class Grimm, which had beaten and injured her minutes before.

She had practically forced the pilot to turn around and return to the market place to retrieve her son. The militia men had planned to distract the Grimm from afar, while she and the Bullhead would swing by and pick up her incredibly naive and heroic son. To their horror however, one of the men spotted the Nuckelavee underneath the Bullhead, running away from the marketplace. Both of its heads sported new, and deep wounds, inflicted by a heavy strike by a sharp weapon. One of its fearsome horns had been sliced off on its upper head, and the mask it wore threatened to crumble at any minute. Jaune's handiwork.

It hadn't been enough to kill the monster, but it had sent it flying, an attempt to save itself and nurse itself back to a decent shape. Not to mention, that the head of the Imp was smoking thick, black plumes of ash. As if someone had lit an intense fire on it. Still, the Nuckelavee's retreat formed a ball of ice in her stomach, and it soon encased her entire being as they finally arrived to the destroyed market.

Nothing was there, but blood and the desecrated bodies of those lifeless husk. The occasional Grimm ran by, but they were too preoccupied with feasting and gorging themselves on the heals of festering flesh and lifeless puppets. Savannah paid no mind to the Grimm as she scanned her eyes over and over the marketplace, but found no sign of Jaune. At this point she was close to the point of hyperventilating.

Then, when the Bullhead's headlights scoured the immediate area, her well trained eyes widened as she saw the upper half of Crocea Mors laying in a pool of blood. It shined like a piece of a broken star, and Savannah began to cry hysterically as she realized nothing else remained of Jaune, but a broken sword and a puddle of his life blood.

The next two days had been just a never ending cycle of her crying profusely, sobbing uncontrollably, and just her mourning the death of her only son. She had forgotten at this point how many tissues she had gone through. Or how long she had remained in bed, practically dead to the world.

What could they have done differently? What could they have done in order to save his life? Obviously they should have trained him more. They shouldn't have babied him and think that he was too weak and kind to be a Huntsman. Just that night he had proved to them all that he was skilled enough and competent enough to fight and kill Grimm. All with little to no training. He had even killed more than Diamond did on her first hunting trip as a huntress.

Perhaps she should let him enter the Bullhead first when they first took off. Maybe then, he wouldn't have been knocked off when that Nevermore attacked their Bullhead. She should have made her way down there that moment and saved him.

There was so much she could have and should have done, and yet she did none of the, and now her baby boy was dead. Cursed by his heritage as a heroic Arc. She could barely imagine what it was like, surrounded by a pack of Beowolves, with only his courage and a broken family sword. Her heart quickened as she imagined a strong her son was eventually overcome by the Grimm, his weak aura barriers over come by the hungry maws of Grimm.

At this time she briskly rose out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, the imagined screamed of her son haunting her. Quickly she began to throw up into the sink, overcome with her fear and disgust imagining her son's death. She quickly washed away the vile in the sink away, but the horrible pit in her stomach was still present and it made her insides churn with anger, and helplessness.

The Grimm would pay indeed. Argentum Mors, her trusted shotel and short sword, would be bathed in layers and layers of blood. Those monsters would know the wrath of the Arcs. The wrath of a mourning mother.

But for now, she needed to recover. She needed to heal. Her wound in her side still pained her, but that pain was eclipsed by the ache in her heart. They all needed to. To put the absence of Jaune to rest, and allow their memories of him to give themselves. strength.

 **X.**

"Information has just come in on the whereabouts of the Schnees. Our spies have gathered that the patriarch of Schnee family and one of his daughters are traveling by airship to the capital of Atlas within the empty two weeks. This is the chance we are looking for." The booming, commanding voice of Adam Taurus spoke to the crowd of White Fang. Murmurs of excitement and anticipation filled the warehouse where they had been stationed. The hated enemy of the Faunus were vulnerable to an assault and the revolutionary group, the White Fang, would capitalize on it with an animalistic eagerness.

Adam smirked as he saw the revolutionaries of the new world beg for their freedom by calling for the blood of those who stopped the advancement of their rise to power. The White Fang chapter under his jurisdiction in Vale had become one of the most prominent, active branches of their organization and their success rate was starting to garner them plenty of attention and resources from the higher ups. The more, immense victories they acquired under their belts, the more Faunus joined their cause.

This operation, however, was what would cement their placement as an actual organization. An actual chance for their revolution to start and for the world to see them as a serious threat. The White Fang were not just a rabble of angry faunus. They were a United force of righteous hungry people.

The sins done by the humans during the Great War would be paid for in blood. The travesties bestowed upon the Faunus would be returned to their originators with ten times more entusiasm and fr more ferocity.

"Lieutenants, prepare your divisions. Mission briefings have been sent to each of you. You have all been given diffrent tasks that will be imperative for the success of this operation. It will be your responsibility to train and make sure that your team is equipped with the nessecary skills and equipments in order for the most successful and efficient completion of the task. Make no mistake, the Schnee family has close ties with the Atlas Military and they themselves are one of the greatest military families in human history. This will be one of the hardest fights of our lives.", Adam once again spoke to the the crowd of loyal faunus. At this point, all nocie had been annihilated, and every single person attending their meeting had become silent as they listened to every word that escaped from Adam's mouth.

"Next week marks the day where hiding in the shadows will no longer be our only option. Next week marks the ignition of our revolution, where our flames of retirubution will spread through all of Remnant. All humans who have sinned against us will feel it's heats and all those oppressed by the humans will flock towards our warmth!" He shouted, his voice like a blazing fire. The gathered members of the White Fang pumped their fists high, and the chorus of confirmations made Adam's blood pump with vigor.

"We shall show the humans true 'animals'! Our scales, furs, and feathers will be dyed with blood soon. Our claws will gleam like steel. Our fangs will be as white as the moon! They will know why we are called the White Fang!" He roared, and he raised his great, slender red sword into the air. Wilt gleamed like freshly spilled blood, and the sight of their commanding officer's,weapons spurred the gathered members of the crowd to raise their own weapons. The sound of chains swords revving and the shouts of excited warriors filled the ware house.

The White Fang were ready to strike.

"Curfew tonight shall be lifted. Celebrate this chance we have recieved with good drinks and companionships. Tomorrow we shall perform inventory and identify what we will need to pull of a successful operations. I will see all lieutenants tomorrow.", The leader of the Valean branch of the White Fang finished. He sheathed his trusted sword and stepped off stage, entering the back stage in order to enter his private quarters. The voices and chants of excitement and satisfaction from his speech followed him a short he left, bringing a victorious smile to his face.

Their commander officers would hopefully quiet them down soon enough and bring them to their barracks, before they got too rowdy. They needed to be in top shape within the next week. This mission depended on their ability to break down the defenses of the Atlas airfield that the Schnees would be taking off from, while he and Blake entered their airship and dispatched of the Schnees.

Speaking of Blake.

"They're irritatingly loud. If they were any louder than they are now, we would have an Atlas fleet above us.", Blake complained to him. She was seated on his bed, reading one offer many books, her cat ears twitching annoyingly. Adam himself snorted in annoyance at seeing the state of his bed. The cat Faunus had messed up his meticulously prepared bed, by making somewhat of a nest with his blankets, covers, and pillows. She had somehow nestled herself in, and had layered pillows around her body so that only her head and arms were free.

"And why, Love, are you once again in my quarters, when you have your own? Why do you always mess up my bed as well! Do you know how long it takes me to make it neat and completely hair free?!" He said with annoyance. It wasn't outright anger, but this schtik of hers had been going on for months and he was getting really annoyed of pulling cat hair from his bed.

"Well, Love, I've already told you that your bed is the most comfortable in the base.", she said, drawing out the word love in order to emphasize it. It had started a few months prior, but somehow they had taken to start to call each other Love as a joke. Somehow it had stuck, even when there was nothing but platonic affection from either of them.

They had a very odd relationship.

"We could always share.", he jokingly flirted. He in return, recieved a glare from a pair of feline eyes and the business end of her weapon, Gambol Shroud.

"Tough crowd.", he murmured in annoyance as he took of his mask, which resembled the bone masks that Grimm permanently wore. His teachings from his old teacher had stuck with him for almost a decade now, even her odd clothing choices.

"I'm assuming that you've told them the plan with the Schnees?" Blake questioned him, her eyes peering over the edge of her book. Roman nodded silently, fishing out a cold water bottle from his fridge.

"I've already sent the operation's details and plans to the lieutenants. They should be ready to disable the airport's defenses and deal with the incoming waves of Atlas robots. That just leaves the two of us to kill the head of the SDC. Are you prepared?" The bull faunus asked the younger member of the White Fang. She tore her gaze from her book, before casting a long look at her beloved Gambol Shroud. She stayed like that for several seconds, most likely gathering her resolve, before she looked back at Adam with amber eyes as hard as iron.

"Yes.", she answered, her voice soft, but firm.

Adam smirked and he turned towards his scroll in order to contact the person responsible for providing him the information. She had come through with her end of the bargain, and luckily, what she wanted was what the White Fang wanted.

The destruction of humanity.

 **X.**

Cinder Fall hummed in concentration as she poured over her notes. Dozens of papers laid infront of her, detailing hundreds of procedures and plans for a variety of cases and scenarios. To her left was a pile of discarded, crumpled plans, ruined by unforeseen variables and choices from her minions and colleagues. Not to mention she had to adapt to the rapidly changing course of the game they were all playing. The Necromancer, and the quickly developing technologies of the Kingdoms were keeping her on her feet.

It didn't help that one of her most successful and reliable agents had decided to leaver her services after one offer her lies finally caught up to her. She didn't have the man power in order to stop a Grimm attack, but Roman refused to do a job unless his and his own employee's safety were assured from the Grimm.

Her Mistress had been pleased that not to many of the Grimm had been slain and had rewarded Cinder with some ancient riches for coming up with a successful offensive plan on the town. The Nuckelavee may have been crippled by an unknown entity that the Queen was currently investigating, but it had done its job well.

His absence from her rooster of agents made many of her contingencies and plans null and void, thus she was currently rewriting, rethinking, and recreating entirely different plans and scenarios by the dozens. Just because that stupid 'thief' didn't see the bigger picture.

'No matter.' She thought. 'He still managed to destroy that Apprentice. I'll find where he's hidden soon enough as well. I can't allow him to spill some of our secrets now can I?' She thought with an annoyed expression. She had spent a lot of time and dedication to her work, and now that man had made much of it a waste.

When she found him, she would make him feel the same sense of time that she was currently feeling.

At least she still had the White Fang at her disposal. Those misguided fools were easy muscle, and helped take some attention from the true players of the game. Especially when they made their own plans.

Of course she had gotten wind of their plans to attack the Schnees. Who on the game board hadn't? The Necromancer, according to her spies, cared nothing for the Schnees and was merely brooding. He was content to send his insane Apprentices out into the world, in order to gather as much of the dead as possible.

Ozpin most likely had informed the Guard Dogs of the North of the White Fangs movement, and the guardians of Atlas had mkst likely made the nessecary defensive measures in order to safe guard their people and one of their greatest influences and assets.

The Schnee Dust Corporation was one of Atlas's greatest advantages over the rest of the world. The SDC was incredibly wealthy and held many of the latest technologies in military and commercial items. The family itself held many promising military officials. In fact all of the current, living members of the family that she was aware of had either been in the military, currently in the military, or training to become a hunter. Not many other families had such a militaristic background, the only one coming to her mind being the Nikos family in Mistral.

Wether their attack failed or not, Cinder was prepared. She and her mistress had dozens of contiginceys planned an in the works. Only very drastic changes could affect them. Such as the introduction of a new 'Player'.

She snorted at the prospect. It would have to take years of hard work, resource management, navigating through a network of spies, and building an army large enough to be considered an actual force. On the board currently, there was her Mistress, the Necromancer and his Apprentices, and Ozpin the Wizard. The three most powerful leaders of the underground forces currently at war.

There were other factions to deal with, such as the Guard Dogs of the North and the White Fang, but the influence and power of the actual Players overshadowed them. After all, the Guard Dogs were influenced by Ozpin, and the White Fang were slowly being integrated under her Mistress's thrall.

'Such an interesting game they we are all a part of.' She mused, as she eyed Mercury and Emerald bicker over some trivial matter. 'Always changing. New pawns. New moves. New rules. It always changes, this game we all play.'

 **X.**

The outside of Goldberry's cottage was very much like its interior, Jaune discovered. It was like a generic cottage one could imagine when one was asked to think of the ideal cottage in the middle of the woods. It had some colors painted to its wooden walls, mostly yellows and greens but with a hint of blue. It was a complicated design that made Jaune imagine what Remnant would look like. A mix of blue water and green land.

 _'I do not know what you are looking for. This to me just looks like a convoluted mess of colors. How can one find beauty in such chaos and disarray?'_ Sauron complained, obviously perturbed by the art that Goldberry and her husband had painted on their cottage.

'Its art. I think they tried to paint the landscape or something similar to that. It's a rather nice piece of art.' Jaune reasoned. Sauron only snorted in disbelief.

 _'Your 'art' needs a new look. Perhaps they should see a field of battle after claiming victory from it. Now that's true beauty.'_ The old lesser god reminisced.

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' Jaune offered.

 _'We share the same eyes fool.'_ Sauron retorted back.

Jaune snorted in discontent, before he began to walk around the large cabin. There was a nice, and in Jaune's opinion an extremely beautiful garden. It was well cared for, with the trimmings of the trees, bushes, and flowers precise and practiced, and all the plants were a healthy shade of green and had a vibrant color through them. There was even a small, stone bridge that ran over top a lazy river.

While Jaune mentally awed and observed the well taken cared of yard, Sauron had only grown in annoyance. He did though, remain silent as they threaded through the peaceful place.

On the opposite side of the garden, was another wooden building. It was similar to the cabin, but this structure only had three walls, and a large chimney that bellowed black smoke into the sky. From where he stood, he could see Roman's back and another figure that he didn't recognize. They were looking at a large anvil, where the unknown figure was striking something with a large hammer, sparks and twinkles of hot metal born each time metal met metal.

 _'A forge.'_ Sauron whispered in awe. There was a certain longing in his voice, and Jaune's memories spurned to life as he recalled Sauron's previous mastery of metallurgy. _'It has been an extremely long time since I have physically worked with molten metal. Forging it, birthing it into something new and powerful. Another aspect of beauty that you will never understand.'_ Sauron voiced.

'Hey! I can appreciate a nice suit of armor and a sword.' Jaune thought back, but his memories once again came to life and panic settled over him.

"Crocea Mors!" He hissed in panic. The knight quickly patted down his pockets and hips, in a vain attempt to locate his missing sword and sheathe. His ancestral sword had been in his family's vault for generations and Jaune would be damned if he allowed himself to lose such a precious heirloom.

 _'Not much of a relic since it broke during its first time in battle in decades. Perhaps I misjudged the strength of its composition.'_

'It did fine when we were killing Grimm and those undead. It even injured the Nuckelavee.' Jaune defended the sword that his family had passed down to him. It was his last connection and reminder of the family and love he had left behind.

 _'Then we clashed blades with that Apprentice. A fake pretender to true necromancy. He managed to break your sword, but not before you managed to take your pound of flesh.'_ Sauron said as Jaune continued to make his way to the forge.

'Did you have necromancy during your age?' Jaune asked, intrigued by Sauron's saying on the pretender.

 _'Not true Necromancy. One can not fully retrieve a life that has been taken without massive amounts of power and ritual. Too much time and resources for such a life. However, what I am familiar with is the binding and trapping of feäs, or in words that you can understand, ghosts.'_

'Wait? Ghosts are real!' Jaune asked him astonished.

 _'Indeed. Some served me as well. I trapped their feäs and bound them to me, and they served me unflinchingly. They were destroyed however, when my Ring was destroyed and I was forced into the void in order to recover my strength. It also seemed that I was my punishment to go on for eons without sentience.'_

'Did they every fight you?'

 _'A lot of ghosts were too weak to interact with the physical realm. But, one certain army of them did decimate one of my forces, and won the battle for my enemies.'_

'How did you beat that army?'

 _'I didn't. Their leader released them from their fate. They died in peace.'_

'Why did he release them? Wouldn't an army of invincible ghost help win them the war?' Jaune inquired. Sauron merely snorted.

 _'Jaune. I've lived far longer than you can possibly imagine. And in my time, I have learned that there are worse fates than death.'_ Sauron finished in a tone that wished to end that line of conversation. Jaune happily obliged.

.

"I'm saying, it can't be any heavier than what it currently is. If it was, it would throw off my entire fighting style.", Jaune heard Roman explain to the mysterious man.

"Well, I must say that you can't find any stronger metals for your cane then. Anything stronger and it will weigh down your weapon. These scratches are just going to be a side effect. Either way, the metal that your cane is made of is strong enough. It's only scratched because you fought a supernatural being that possessed an extremely old, and powerful weapon.", the blacksmith replied as he continued to hammer away at the glowing Melodic Cudgel.

Jaune entered the forge, and came upon the two men discussing. Roman merely gave him a warm smile, before he returned his gaze back to the smith. The smith was a portly man, wearing large, blue robes and an odd hat. Despite the heat and fire, he also had a wild, brown beard loose.

 _'Bombadil.'_ Sauron hissed. Jaune stilled at the annoyance in Sauron's voice.

'He's the other ancient?'

 _'Indeed. He's just as old, or even older than Goldberry. Lord of the Forest, he's been on your world longer then I have. He's also unpredictable though. One moment he's gallivanting in his forests. The next, he is smithing ancient foes. Be wary.'_ Sauron warned.

"Good to see that your awake Jaune. But next time, do find a change of clothes and change into them before you walk outside in your sleep wear.", he chided. Jaune looked down at the clothes that he was wearing currently, before he responded,

"I don't have any other clothes.", Jaune explained.

 _'I do believe that your last set of clothes, as well as your armor was shredded by that 'Apprentice.' Perhaps stronger clothing should be a nessecity for us. As well as a new weapon. And food. Perhaps a moveable bed.'_ Sauron continued to list off.

"Ohh your right. I will have to go into town and buy you new clothes. By the way, I should introduce you to your savior and our host. Jaune Arc meet Tom Bombadil, black smith and old friend of mine.", Roman introduced. The man only waved a greeting at Jaune, who nervously waved back.

"Ah yes. You had us on the ropes for a couple of hours lad. But you got some tough bones in you. Not to mention, my friend Roman here says that you managed to kill an Apprentice. You will grow up to be a fine warrior if you continue on this path.", Bombadil congradulated. Jaune felt himself blush at the compliment.

"But either way, Roman I still need that shiner, and those parts. Can you be a gentleman and go and fetch them for an old fellow like me?" The smith continued, patting his knees and a obvious fake pleading expression on his bearded face. Roman in turned just rolled his eye, and turned to leave the forge.

"Yeah yeah, I got it. I'll be a bit late though. I got to find our young knight some clothes. I'll leave his armaments and armored to you." Roman said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Jaune only nodded in thanks as the well dressed man's left the forge, leaving the confused knight alone once again with an ancient entity that Sauron was familiar with.

The silence was just as awkward as it had been with Goldberry. Jaune was quite unsure what to say to an entity that even Sauron was wary of. Sauron himself wasn't helping since all he continue to say to Jaune was his foolish and childish The being was infront of him. He also mentioned on how unpredictable he could be. The vulnerable knight was quick to mention on how truly useless Sauron's comments were at the moment.

"I'm going to assume Jaune Arc, that my wife has already spoken to you. Judging by the way that you reacted to me and treating me now, my previous assumptions are correct. It's good to see another familiar face around. Even if it is the previous dark lord." Tom said rather bluntly. The older man had turned his complete attention onto Jaune, his blue eyes spearing into Jaune's sapphire tinted irises.

 _'Seems that they both sensed me. There is no need for subetly here. Greet him for yourself and I.'_ Sauron advised.

"Yes. Your wife has already talked to me. Sauron says hello too.", Jaune said awkwardly, clearly hearing how insane he sounded. All that happened in the last week just seemed so long ago, but his adventures with Sauron had only broadened his sense of time, and what felt like weeks was only a mere few days.

"Quite a predicament you've found yourself in now. I always knew that the Arc family would have some very fine adventures, but what you have been embroiled in is just plain ridiculous.", he said and for the first time, Jaune could make out that the man had a noticeable accent. As if he knew their lanaguage, but had spent a very long time not speaking it.

 _'I would assume that is due to the fact that Bombadil is many eons old. He must have learned many languages during his time on the mortal realm.'_

"Wait. You know my family?" Jaune inquired from the man. He only gave a loud laugh that made his beard jolt happily.

"Why of course I do! What person on this side of the Valean front hasn't heard of the Arc family! Your family has been guarding this land for generations, and the people appreciate it enough for them to remember your family as legendary defenders of the frontier. But for me, I do know your family quite personally since I helped build your weapons." He explained.

" **You** built the Arc Heirlooms!" Jaune asked, astonished at the primeval manifestation of the forest. He merely chuckled in response.

"Why yes I did. I'm sure you know I'm a lot older than initial observations. Although I didn't give the names to them, most of your heirlooms were made by me. I had to stop making them though. It would have been suspicious for a family as old as yours to go to the same blacksmith all the time." Bombadil said, a far away look in his eyes.

"That means you made Crocea Mors? You can fix it?" Jaune inquired, eager to repair his shattered sword. Tom gained a questioning expression, before realization masked it.

"Oh! Crocea Mors is the name of your sword! Yes, that makes sense. But this seems to be the one weapon I didn't make. It's odd composition is made of something I've never seen. Even broken, it still is a remarkable piece of work.", The blacksmith said as he stood up and made his way to a work bench. From its top he lifted a famailr sheathe and snapped sword. "Quite a piece of work this is. A fine blade indeed. Until it was cut through at least."

Jaune numbly retook his sword and sheathe, and only grief filled him as he gazed upon his shortened sword. The blade wasn't even a third of is original size, and there was a clean slash where the Apprentice had broken his sword with his own strike.

"You can fix it right?" He weakly said. Jaune looked up expectantly, but saw Tom sadly shaking his head, but there was an odd kind in his eyes.

 _'I do not like this.'_ Sauron commented.

" **I** may not have the ability to repair your sword, but **you** do." The forest lord said and he handed Jaune a heavy hammer. "Crocea Mors is your sword boy. It will only truly be yours when you pour more than just metal and skill into it. Perhaps you'll make something completely new?"

"B-but I don't know anything about smithing!" Jaune protested heavily as he gripped the unfamiliar instrument in his hand. The hammer was heavy, and Jaune felt some type of soot rub off on his hand.

"You may not. But the Maiar within you does. Before he went to serve Morgoth, I do believe that the being within you was one of the greatest smiths of all time. He should be able to instruct you to make a new sword.", he said jubilantly. "I've taken up blacksmith after a couple do eons with nothing to do, and it would be an honor to see what the creator of the infamous One Ring is capable of doing with a sword."

 _'Foolish tree god. All my knowledge of molding metal and embuing strength within it cannot not be simply passed down.'_ Sauron angrily replied.

"I'm sorry I can't help you anymore in this matter. But if you truly wish to continue on the path of a warrior, than you must create your own weapon. Only then, will it be yours. Taking the relics of great warriors of old will only get you so far. But I do have some rather nice tools at your disposal. I will return to you in a while.", Tom Bombadil said suddenly." And don't over extend yourself too much. Your Aura may have sealed the wound in your chest, it would be smart for you to take it easy."

Then, rather abruptly, he left the forge. Jaune follows him with his eyes, and he became shocked as the man practically skipped into the forest, small birds following him, chirping happily.

"What?" Jaune questioned at the man's sudden disappearance. Had the primeval spirt really just entrusted his own forge, tools, and own profession to Jaune, a fourteen year old boy who had not the slightest idea what to do with his broken sword.

 _'I warned you about his strangeness. The lord of the forests was always known for his peculiar behavior.'_ Sauron commented, irritation evident by his voice. _'No matter. We need for you to get armed for future endeavors. It's up to us to reforge Crocea Mors.'_

Jaune gulped and he gazed down at his broken sword. The metal had lost its gleam from its last battle from so long ago, and a permanent dull had settled over it.

 _'I don't believe I told you, but I personally have not have the best of times with swords. Even when broken, they are still sharp enough to rend flesh. They also have a tendency to have magic embued within them, making them powerful.'_ Sauron admitted.

'Didn't you lose to the King of Gondor when he sliced off your fingers with a sword?' Jaune remembered from the tales that Sauron had told him their first night bound together.

 _'He was no king at the time. Merely a prince. I had defeated Elendil, the true king of Gondor of the time and the leader of the elven forces that had accompanied them in single combat. Elendil and Gil-Galad were foolish, but admitingly valiant in their attempts to stop me. Gil-Galad was slain and_ _I cast away the mortal king and broke his sword, Narsil, beneath the bottom of my boot. However, I had not expected for the son of the king to lash out at me. Thus my body was destroyed. Then when I reformed and continued on my path to domination, I found that a new rising king was opposing me. This new king as well wielded that accursed blade, but had reformed it into Anduril, flame of the west.'_ Sauron retold, an angry tone escaping him as he thought of all the times he had either been tricked or fallen by kings wielding swords.

'Well, what do I do 'Dark Lord'? Jaune asked with a joking tone, adding Sauron's title in an attempt to appease the angered Maiar.

 _'At least you are attempting to use my proper title.'_ Sauron joked back. _'First matter of business is for us to examine what equipment and material that the Tree Lord has here.'_

Jaune nodded and stepped inside the forge and began to observe and eye all the pieces of smithing that the odd entity had stored within the building. Tools hung from racks on the wall as well as large weapon racks, showing off Bombadil's impressive works. Ingots of a variety of metals Jaune had no knowledge about, were neatly arranged on the ground as piles reminiscent of pyramids.

 _'Gold. Silver. Steel. Unknown metals. His collection of plundered earth is admirable.'_ Sauron listed off as Jaune continued to inventory the rest of the ingots. It was rather dazzling, from the familiar glow of gold, and the unfamiliar ingot the same color of that of silver, but with a soft blue glow emnanting from its cover. _'Impossible. Go back fool.'_

'What?' Jaune asked, thrown off by Sauron's sudden eagerness.

 _'Do you not know what lays before you! Fool! This is one of the greatest treasures plundered from the earth beneath your feet.'_ Sauron said, his voice full of wonder and greed. Feeling Jaune's silence and lack of answer, Sauron groaned in exasperation before he explained, _'Its mithril! The strongest metal I know of! Only the Dwarves had access to such plunder. I, myself, have not had numerous chances to work with it. This is the material we shall use to reforge your sword.'_ Sauron confirmed.

 _'Now bring the remnants of your sword_ _to the furnace, as well as some of those ingots. We will make your new weapon with the remains of your last one.'_ The Maiar ordered. Jaune complied and he moved to the furnace that sat in the corner of the building. He grabbed several bars of the mysterious metal and proceeded over to the active furnace.

The heat from the metal beast threatened to ward Jaune off from such an endeavor, but he pushed on. Gently he placed his broken sword and the bars of mithril on a counter top, before he went in to pull the top of the furnace off.

 _'You ignoramus! Do you wish to melt off your flesh! Put on some protective material or use some instruments to remove the top of the furnace. Sometimes I wonder if you wish to permanently harm your body.'_ Sauron scolded. Jaune only snorted in defiance before he put his bare hand atop the furnace.

Admingitingly it was hot, but no where nearer the burn that the heat that he was feeling from the air would suggest. Aura was incredibly durable and useful, especially when it was used to disprove Sauron.

'Well?' Jaune taunted, ignoring in how white flames were dancing using his hand.

 _'Alright. You've made your point. Our feä's strength is impressive indeed; so potent in fact that the fire of our feä is warped around your hand. Now remove it before the heat of the furnace exhausts its strength and you scald yourself.'_ Sauron conceded. Jaune snorted and retracted his hand. He observed his hand, and how the white fire shielded and flared around his flesh and with a conscious effort, he extinguished his soul flame.

 _'Now begins the process of waiting and watching. Mithril, if I recall, is an extremely heat resistant metal. We will have to wait for a while.'_

'How long is the wait?'

 _'Too long for a being as patient as me. There is an alternative however.'_ Sauron suggested. _'We could use the fire of our feäs to melt the mithril.'_

'Alright. How do we do this?' Jaune questioned as he rolled up the sleeves of his pajama shirt, ignoring the fact he was about to forge in pajamas.

 _'All you must really do is merely give your strength to the fire. Concentrate. Link the flames of our feä to the furnace."_

Jaune closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel the power of his soul once again. The fire danced across his skin, comforting and healing. He allowed it to jump towards the furnace, and by the time he had opened his eyes the metal shell of the furnace had a dim glow to it.

 _'Excellent. This will do nicely. Now do what exactly I say. If you don't, you risk the integrity and full out state of your precious sword. Understood?'_

Jaune only nodded in approval.

 _'Good. Now let me show you the skills of the Dark Lord who forged the greatest item any smith could hope to achieve.'_ The second Dark Lord boasted, no hint of humility found within the voice of the old god. It quite unnerved Jaune by how passionate the usually grumbling Sauron was.

 **X.**

Neo happily made her way towards the Bombadil's forge. She had just experienced a rather nice trip to the market in the nearby town of Evergreen, and had actually been able to pick out one of her favorite ice cream flavors to bring home. Goldberry had come to help her with the groceries as well and she had left early in order to bring back the newly bought ingredients as well as start on dinner. Roman had also come by and the two of them had spent a rather relaxing time in town, buying some baubles for Tom and Jaune some new clothes.

To some it may have been surprising, but Neo had allowed Roman to choose out Jaune's clothes. Neo knew she and no chance in the fashion world against a man like Roman, a man who had eons worth of taste and good quality clothing more than her. So after roughly two hours at that particular shopping out let, they left with three new sets of clothing for Jaune. To date, he was the second most well funded agent of Roman.

You can guess the first.

When they had arrived, they found that Goldberry was still preparing dinner. Neo had been shooed from the kitchen though by Roman, who most likely feared the aspect of Neo ruining diner by helping her self to some 'appetizers'. That was fine. That meant she could check on Jaune, who Goldberry had said, had been in the forge for hours at this point.

She hummed a merry tune as she neared the forge, the ringing of a hammer striking metal filling the air. Jaune must have been heavily invested into his current project. But hopefully it could wait, dinner was going to be ready soon and she really wanted to sit next to him during the meal. The very thought brought a small blush to her cheeks. Despite her line of work, trying to work out a crush was an area she was not familiar with.

It didn't help her that she couldn't speak to him. It seems that all her advances towards an innocent relationship would have to be physical.

Neo let loose a sign of discomfort,as the forge's heat blared her in the face. How could anyone survive such intense heat and work in it? It felt like she was in the deserts of Vacuo and that was certainly an experience that she didn't want to experience again.

Her eyes widened, however, as she caught sight of Jaune. Neo's mind tripped and her body stilled as her eyes focused on the knight slaving over an anvil. His shirt was off, most likely from the heat, and sweat was glistening over his chest. His bandages were still on, and they were damp form his work, but it did little to hide the rest of his body. While not as chiseled as some of the men she had thrashed with her umbrella, it still was an impressive sight, especially for a young man of his age.

She gulped as she focused on the stray beads of water trail down his face. His eyes were blazing gems of blue, almost as intense as the present heat within the building. The only light source came from the heavy glow from the molten metal of the furnace, and the bar of red hot metal, which cast dark shadows in the room.

One seemingly hung over Jaune, large and menacing, like an outline of his body. It was rigid, as if it was wearing heavy armor, and the head was distorted, as if it was wearing a helmet.

Then, Jaune turned to her and the shadow followed his movements. Eyes of deep blue and shadow stared at her, and she involuntarily blinked.

When she opened the again, not even a full second later, the shadow behind Jaune had all but disappeared, leaving only normal shadows in it wake. Jaune's eyes also no longer possessed the strange glow from before and Neo relaxed at the adorable and confused expression that had made its way to his face.

"Neo? What's the matter?" He asked in general concern, most likely perturbed by her quite entrance and recent behavior. She shook her head of such thoughts and began to angrily display her displeasure on how he was exhausting himself when he was wounded. He wisely placed down the hammer and put the searing hot blade he was working on into a trowel of cold water. The sudden hiss of cooling metal startled her a bit, and she stood mesmerized at the large cloud of gaseous water.

"What's the matter?" He asked her, looking down at her with his cobalt eyes. She blinked and began to motion with her hand the act of eating.

"It's time to eat?" He asked. She nodded in confirmation and quickly beckoned him over with her hand. Goldberry's dinners were to die for. Jaune nodded and grabbed his pajama shirt, and she caught the wince that marred his face. She tsked in disapproval and moved to help him. She took his shirt from his hands and promptly began to teleport him to the house, ignoring his pleas of disapproval.

She created a link with his room and with a crack of breaking glass, the vanished from the forge. With their sudden departure from the forge, they missed as Tom appeared at the forge's entrance, gazing at the finished blade. It still needed a lot of work and time, but for an entity as old as Tom, time was not an issue.

Plus it felt good to do some nice for people, and perhaps this good act of his would help Sauron see the good in the world he had tried to destroy.

 **X.**

 _'This is one of the worst experiences I have felt in my life. And I have lost my body twice.'_ Sauron groaned as Jaune slowly peeled off the wet bandage from his chest. The sensitive, healed wound in his chest clung to the bandage, and made the removal of the linen quite difficult and painful.

'We should have taken off the bandages before we took the shower.' Jaune winced as he finally finished taking off the soaked linen. His breath caught as he examined the long streak of pale flesh that spanned across his chest. It started above his right pectoral and ended under his left one. He dare not trace his fingers over the cut, fearing that he may disturb the delicate scabs that lined his cut. Already some parts of it were bleeding lightly.

Jaune sighed in annoyance as he walked into his room, new shirt in hand. Roman had done him a huge service by giving him Hunter-grade clothing. The material wouldn't give under any of the usual moves that the top tier Hunters could pull off and still last for a good while. While the clothing he had may have not have been as strong as those hunter's clothes, it would still give Jaune the durability he needed.

 _'How are you going to bandage the wound on your chest? I do not believe that you have the nessecary healer training.'_

'I mean it can't be that difficult. It's just wrapping a bandage around yourself.' Jaune reasoned.

 _'I do believe it's difficult enough for that friend of yours to be waiting with bandages in her hands.'_ Sauron observed. Jane sputtered in surprise as he turned to fine Neo staring at him with a disapproving glare, holding a roll of bandages and a kit of other medical nessecties.

'How did I miss her!?' Jaune thought in shock as Neo stared back at him, beckoning him to sit next to her.

 _'I do not know. We share the same eyes don't we?'_ Sauron snarked at him. Jaune merely grumbled in respone as he sat himself on the bed and allowed Neo to start dabbing at the areas where blood was emerging with a cotton ball that was damp with alcohol. He hissed in pain as the medicinal serum helped sterilize the open wounds on his chest.

Neo looked up at him in worry and placed down the bloodied cotton and moved to apply a soothing cream to his chest. Unlike the alcohol, this ointment was soothing and it helped cool him down from the abrasive initial wipe. Yet despite the actions of Neo, Jaune's cheeks were slowly gaining a red tint.

 _' I do not know why you are feeling such embarrassment and affection towards you. The chances of you actually taking her as your maiden are almost unseeable. Why would she be attracted to someone's as weak and injured as you?'_ Sauron reasoned.

Jaune felt himself wilt as Sauron's reasoning made him see reality. He wanted to be defiant and defend himself, but what Sauron said was true. Why would Neo, a pretty girl who had proven to be able to kick his ass several times over, ever want to have romantic relations with a weakling like him? He was the only one to get injured during the battle and had dragged down the rest of them due to his recovery.

'I guess your right. I just hope I can find someone who likes me.' Jaune confessed to the Maiar.

 _'Hope is one of Man's strongest gifts. Do not lose it. I believe that we have the ability to find a peasant girl who will be charmed by your idiocy and flaws.'_

Jaune only snorted, but if Neo could read minds, she would no doubt be screaming in frustration. Or at least attempt to.

 **.**

Jaune and Neo found themselves wide eyed and in awe as Roman stood before them at the Bombadil's dinning table. The table had been cleaned off from dinner, and was now full of assorted pieces of white armor, all stolen from the security forces of the SDC.

 _'It seems that my old age is getting to my hearing. Or yours. I did not hear what Roman said correctly.'_ Sauron said dumbfounded.

"So. To get into Atlas, we're going to have to dress up and impersonate some of their honor guard, escort a Schnee, one of most influential, and powerful people on the planet, and make it into the Citadel. The most guarded and secured province in all of Atlas?" Jaune questioned his older friend.

Roman only smirked.

"That's insane. No ordinary person could pull that off!" Jaune exclaimed, referencing himself.

"Well my dear knight, good thing we are anything but ordinary. We have the slayer of a necromancer, a silent assasin, and a criminal mastermind." The flamboyant man said as he spread his arms to encompass all of them. "I can assure you, this will be on the of the greatest heist ever pulled off."

' _I'm doomed.'_ Sauron groaned.

 **First of all I'm sorry for not posting sooner, but end of quarter work had swamped me and I wanted to try a new writing style. This chapter isnt all too exciting but it's a good set up chapter and reveals all the players associations with the next 'arc of this story.**

 **So I've seen your guys complaint about my grammar and have went back to try and change everything. I also reviewed this chapter.**

 **But im looking for a beta so anyone available Pm me.**


	6. The Blizzard

**Hey guys, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter I've ever written. I've put a lot of work and time into this so I'd appreciate any reviews and favorites you can give.**

 **Thank you all for reviewing since seeing that review number go up is an identifiable drug now.**

 **Plus keep an eye out on some new stories. I've had some ideas for our favorite blonde knight.**

 **It has also come to my attention that people don't fully understand the way I have written Sauron. Especially a certain critic. I'm just saying that Sauron can't influence or control Jaune because that would be more detrimental to him than just plain cooperating.**

 **Doesnt mean he won't try in the future.**

 **So originally this was supposed to be a really massive chapter, but due to exams, holidays, school, a week long retreat, and other distractions, I've been forced to split this thing in two. The second sort will come**

 **X.**

Jaune thumbed the Atlas Enforcer helmet that Roman had requisitioned for them. It was unlike his old helmet, the one lost during the battle of Canvas. This one was new and high tech, made of a sleek white metal and black pieces of glass covered the eyes in separated segements completely. They trailed down the front of the helmet in sharp angles that resembled a mouth. The helmet perfectly matched the rest of the Enforcer armor that Roman had supplied him with. It was all heavy armor, made with fine white metal and hints of black paint detailed over it.

Roman had gone all out in order for this heist to work, getting different sets for himself and Neo, and Sauron had taken a liking to a particular part of the Enforcer set.

 _'It's a mace and a wrist cannon! How preposterously overkill. It is an excellent weapon.'_ Sauron praised as Jaune hefted the apparent 'wrist' cannon onto his right arm. It was a sleek black rod with a large opening on one end for the projectiles to shoot out of, and with a switch on top of it to transform it into its 'mace' configuration.

'Its more of a baton than anything.' Jaune admitted as the wrist cannon began to enclose and shift into a large baton or club. Not the most impressive weapon, but it was effective none the less, especially for the operations that the fabled Enforcers of Atlas were sent into. Mostly against terrorist attacks or the rare violent riots, they were effective shock troopers.

 _'Allow me this one victory for myself, mortal. Just once.'_ Sauron pleaded as Jaune practiced swinging the 'mace'. It was much heavier and Jaune didn't have the same control over it as Crocea Mors, but he could learn, especially with Sauron rambling on and on about how many mortals he had slain with his favored mace in the days of old.

'Hopefully we can finish refurbishing Crocea Mors. I miss it.' The young mortal confessed to the lesser god. 'Do you think that using my Aura in forging it would help its strength?'

 _'Of course. I know that using your feä would strengthen the durability of your craft. I served under the Valar of Smithing, Aulë himself. I surpassed him even, when I created the most powerful relic know in Arda. I am the greatest smith from the old age!'_ Sauron boasted as Jaune fitted himself with the sturdy armor. Jaune could only snort as the Maiar preened himself.

'This isn't as bad as I thought it would be.' Jaune thought as he flexed his fingers through his gauntleted hands. The armor had been segmented to allow articulation and the ability to move his fingers, but there was a weight to them. The Atlas military had spared no expense for their soldiers, as the rest of the Enforcer set had the same, segemented, white armored plates all over it.

The helmet itself was quite comfortable, and Jaune found that despite the relatively small vision space, he could see quite well. There was even an air filter at the bottom of the helmet that helped provide fresh air so that the interior of the helm wouldn't get stuffy and uncomfortable.

 _'This armor should have had a darker shade of color. The hue of white, I find, does not strike fear into the hearts of your enemies. Colors like black and grey were the uniform for my armies of orc. It help break the will of my enemies, especially man. Seeing an endless tide of shadow and dark encroaching on their position must have been feä crushing.'_ Sauron said with a far off, whimsical voice.

'To me, its seems cliche.'

 _' Cliche? I'm only the second Dark Lord! I brought the old world to its knees!'_ The previously stated second Dark Lord exclaimed. ' _How is that possibly cliche?'_

'Well it has been a long time since your last attempt to rule. Black has sort of become the archetype for evil and people like you.' Jaune explained.

 _'Well for the record, my predessecor and I were responsible for giving the shade of black that archetype. It was a sign of power and dominance in my time, and very few wished to wear it for its burden.'_ Sauron defended himself.

Jaune only let out a small laugh as he exited the Bombadil's cabin, wearing all the heavy armor that Roman had so graciously provided them. The sun was setting in the sky, and already the shattered moon and the stars were peeking out from behind the quickly color changing sky.

 _'I do hope that this meeting will not take too long. I would adore for us to receive more sleep. It has been a long day.'_ The Maiar complained.

'We can go to bed after this. They wanted for me to meet them out side."

He had been told to meet him and Neo outside in order to discuss the game plan to get into Atlas and the meticulous heist in order to infiltrate the Atlas capital ship, Blizzard, personal warship to the Schnee Dust Company.

The plan itself sounded completely suicidal, but it was his only chance in order to get into Atlas and see his family. Their evacuation into the northern kingdom must have been upsetting to them, but at least Jaune would be able to see them within the week.

 _'I do not understand the prospect of this scroll communication. I do not understand why you can not just call the other scroll like you had told me. Or perhaps Man is has not as advanced as I thought.'_ Sauron questioned Jaune's lacking ability to call his family.

'It is not as simple as that. It would have been easier if they were in Vale since the continent code wouldn't be required and they are in the same general area. It since they're in Atlas, I would need a country code, an area code, and the number of where they are staying. It would be better if I entered Atlas and started from there.' Jaune explained. The Maiar only hummed in understanding before going quiet. Most likely to brood or scheme.

In the distance, by the thick tree line that encircled the house, Jaune spied two familiar figures, dressed in unfamiliar clothing.

"Ah! Looking quite the mercenary my protégé!." Roman called out, garbed in a similar but different Atlas armor set. His was far more refined and slimmer then Jaune's, giving him the impression of a military officer. It even had some flamboyant designs covering it, most likely the Master Thief's handy work. He had his helmet underneath his arm, and Neo stood beside him fully clothed in her slim uniform.

She too, had a variety of designs over her uniform, like ice cream cones and other miscellaneous images that only a person like Neo would put on a suit of armor from one of the most prestigious militaries on Remnant.

Although, there was a discrepancy between the two. The lack of their signature weapons. Instead Roman had a long, bulky staff with one side ending in a bladed end, and Neo had a curved sword and a small pistol that she was twirling on her finger nonchalantly .

"I'm going to have to provide you with some paint in order for you to decorate your armor with. We're posing as Atlas military mercenaries, not the real deal.", Roman chided noticing how bland Jaune's armor truly was compared to theirs.

"So why are we posing as mercenaries? I thought you disliked sellswords and goons." Jaune questioned as he allowed his right arm to rest by his side, the large wrist cannon weighing him down. The Enforcer weapon was almost twice as heavy as his shield and was just a foot shorter than Crocea Mors's original form.

 _'I don't know why you hold so much disdain for sellswords. They were instrumental for several my operations in days long past.'_ Sauron asked as Jaune's distaste for such professions sprung forth into their shared mind.

'They have no honor or loyalty. They only serve the highest bidder.' The honorable, young knight growled. Sauron only laughed with mirth.

 _'I would have thought at this point that your morals would have changed.'_ The Dark Lord laughed. _'All beings, no matter how big or small, have the will to live. Some live the way of the soldier and all the favorable and honored positions. Others intend to steal their positions from others. Conniving thieves and greedy sellswords are two sides of the same coin.'_

'They could always try and find a new job.' The mortal suggested.

 _'If only others shared your optimism. From my years of destroying your cities of old and crushing the warriors of legend and myth beneath my boot, I've learned that you mortals always think that you have only one path. That you can only be one thing for the rest of your lives. What you all forget is that you can changed, broken, and reborn. You are not limited to one path. You can always change.'_

Jaune remained silent at Sauron's explosive remark of knowledge of mortals. He was too keen to hear Roman's master plan and his lack of knowledge on basically anything left him with no choice but to listen to the vastly more educated Sauron.

"Posing as mercenaries is the most efficient and easiest way to get a free ticket into Atlas and to get you to your family. The on,y other way would be to pose as Atlas militants and not even I could make it cleanly through the Schnee's security screening.", the well dressed criminal explained.

"Plus I will not allow myself to travel on some cramped, coach class, carrier. If you're trying to get some place, you might as well do it in the fanciest and nicest way possible. Even if I have to stow away my precious Melodic Cudgel for this barbaric weapon.", he said as he gestured towards the current staff in his hand. "It's a simple riot control staff, a bit bulky for my taste, but it has the key components to that of my cane. It should do nicely. But if things get serious..."

Roman trailed off as he reached behind his back and pried off Melodic Cudgel. He demonstrated his skill with the cane, twirling it with one hand, before he placed it on his back, the sound of metal clicking to metal ringing through the air.

"Luckily for you two, you don't have to hide your primary weapons. Neo's is a normal umbrella and no one knows about your weapon, Jaune. Especially since you and Bombadil are reforming it. He said for you to go meet him."

' _The Forest Lord is tampering with my craft! Quickly Jaune! We must save our hard work!'_ Sauron cried out and Jaune forced himself to run past a stunned Roman and Neo. Luckily the forge was around the corner, but unluckily the Enforcer armor that Jaune was currently wearing wasn't the most mobile suit. By the time he made it to the entrance, he was breathing heavily and the heat from the forge' funace was not helping.

However, both of their visions were obscured by the gleaming shard of starlight that leaned against the blacksmith's anvil. Crocea Mors lay reborn, finely made and shining like the sun from above was beneath the thin layer of metal. The blade itself was almost four feet long, and the it was warped down the middle, creating a small divet that ran down the length of the sword. Even from so far away, Jaune could make out small rune-like markings on the shiny substance.

The cross guard had been refined, and the gold that made it up was like solid fire, gleaming with the majesty of the sun itself. The pommel had been changed to that of a diamond and within the core of it a blue stone shined.

New, blue leather was tightly wrapped around the hilt of the sword, and Jaune never realized how dirty his old hilt guard had been until his eyes castes over the newly refined Crocea Mors. His shield lay beside it, nothing seemingly new about it. It seemed only to be cleaned and a bit larger than Jaune remembered.

 _'Bombadil.'_ Sauron hissed and Jaune swiftly turned his head to find the portly man standing in the corner. He was looking at them with an amused smile and his eyes held a mischievous glint to them.

"Some impressive work you did there Sauron. Even with a few hours to work on it, the blade was already formed, and all I had to do was finish it up.", Tom complimented as he made his way over to Jaune. "I will admit, you using mithril for the base of the sword's form was a surprise, but the use of your soul fire to melt it down was genius."

The old entity handed Jaune his newly forged weapons and Jaune found himself marveling at how _light_ his weapon felt. Sauron could only explain the reason why it was to the confused and awed Jaune.

 _'Mithril was fabled to be much stronger than steel, but far lighter. The Dwarves were particualry fond of it. Until of course, they dug too deep.'_ Sauron chuckled, and Jaune could tell that the primeval entity was laughing at whatever fate had befallen the poor dwarves.

"I decided to do you two a nice deed. I placed some ancient runes upon its blade. It has become the ultimate against your enemies. That is if you know how to wield it." The forest god turned blacksmith explained. Jaune traced a finger down the blades body, feeling the strange etchings in the metal and having shivers run down him as he felt some foreign and old power course though it.

 _'Those are ancient runes indeed. Let me see them clearly.'_ Sauron commanded.

The young knight's sapphire eyes flowed for a moment, before a dark, fire-like tint entered them. His normal, human irises, briefly shifted to that of reptile like slits. His strange eyes then studied the runes, ignoring how two beams of firey light emitted from them, following the moment of the pupils, or how Bombadil had taken an involuntary step back from him.

 _'Let the fires of the feä burn the dark.'_ Sauron read, and his presence retracted from Jaune's eyes, letting them return to their original hue and form. _'Let the sword be the shield, and the shield be the sword.'_

"What does that mean?" Jaune asked, looking at the blacksmith.

"You poured your soul into Crocea Mors' rebirth. Your power flows though it like a conduit, and it can be far more than just a simple straight sword." Tom explained.

"So how do we use it?" The eager knight questioned, gazing longingly at the reborn Crocea Mors. Tom only smirked.

"That is a discovery for both you, and Sauron to find out. Just know that the answer is far closer to you than you realize." The entity commented cryptically, before he walked out the forge, to once again frolic in the forest.

 _'Insolent, ancient fool. First he tampers with my work and now he expects us to find out the secrets that he implemented?'_ The Maiar snarled in anger.

'Well at least we have Crocea Mors back. Plus it's far stronger and it has some magic to it apparently.', Jaune thought with some optimism, hopefully trying to please the quickly angering spirit.

 _'I suppose that your are correct, but what good will that do us if we do not possess the knowledge to wield it properly. Our feä form is only capable of allowing us to shift forms for several seconds. We will need more weaponry, more power, and more skills in order for us to stand against our enemies.'_ Sauron answered.

'Well at least were staring somewhere.' Jaune answered, sheathing Crocea Mors into the transformed sheathe. He buckled it onto his left hip, the sheathed sword held to his side by a magnetic belt meant for all sorts of equipment that Atlas Enforcers used. He gestured to the large wrist cannon that resided on his right arm.

 _'Humph. I guess that your are correct. It is satisfying to have a weapon that resembles a mace. Now do hurry back, we can talk about this later. Goldberry had prepared an immaculate apple pie with some ice cream and I'll be damned if we allow Neo to eat it all. The girl has already eaten four cartons of it and I refuse to let her eat anymore.'_ The sweet loving Dark Lord exclaimed, forcing Jaune to rush back to the house to appease his soul partner.

 **X.**

"Father, I must insist your bring more troops with you. I do not trust mercenaries, even if they were formally part of the Atlas Military, their loyalty can not be trusted. Allow me to assign another garrison to accompany you to the Citadel." Jacques Schnee's eldest daughter pleaded with him. Her face, even through the large holographic screen, was full of worry even with years of military training. His daughter's emotions had always been stronger when dealing with her family, especially with her younger siblings.

"Winter. My descion is already made. I need the SDC defense forces monitoring our installations and mines, and I know you can't spare any of your forces, especially with the rise of White Fang movement.", he firmly chided her. She must learn that her family was not as fragile as a thin sheet of ice. The Schnees family had been forged through battle, politics, and the business industry. At this point, the family had reached glacier levels worth of durability and strength.

"Besides. Do you have such little faith in your own family's men and in your own father's skills? The same skills and abilities that have kept you and your siblings safe for decades?" He teased her. His hand instinctively fell to his rapier, Icicle, and its twin, Sleet, a curved sword. It may had been a while since he had left the battle field for the political and the business field, but he had still taught Winter and Weiss their fighting styles. Thankfully, Whitely had decided to become more of a politician and take up the reins of the company, but even then he was learning how to properly wield a gun.

Such was the life of a Schnee.

"No father, I merely want to ensure that you and Weiss will be safe. The Blizzard isn't the warship it used to be. It's weaponry is old and its been retrofitted into a luxury liner. What happens if the White Fang attacks? What if some pirates attempt to raid the ship?! The Valean military isn't as grand as Atlas, and the closest Atlas fleet would be 50 kilometers away at the closest!" Winter babbled. Jacques only shook his head in exasperation

"We will be fine Winter. I should be worried about _you._ Youngest Atlas Specialist in history is being sent on a diplomatic mission with the Supreme Commander of the entirety of the Atlas military. Weiss and I are only heading north to the Citadel for a business trip. Now stop being so frazzled and paranoid. It is unfitting to an educated and gifted Schnee such as yourself to be so dramatic." Winter deflated at her father's position on the matter, but after only half a second she straightened herself up.

"Of course Father. I apologize greatly for my inappropriate attitude and actions." Winter reprimanded herself, bowing in a formal manner that had taken years to perfect.

"It is quite alright. I will contact you later Winter. Do get some rest and calm your nerves. Your sister and I will be fine. We have the Blizzard and an entire Atlas flotilla as our escort. Whitley is at the manor and he has Klein with him. Your family is safe.", he assured her. "Now go. I will talk to you later."

She nodded in understanding, and soon her virtual image flickered out. It left the communications room dark, and Jacques alone to his thoughts.

Finally, after years of unraveling laws and policies, he would be able to repay a dear friend, who had opened his eyes to reality. While his extended family may have gone behind his back and changed many of the Schnee Dust Companies' rules, he had undone all their work within only a few years. A miracle in the form of a nightmarish fight in courts and between dozens of lawyers. Now, he could reap the rewards of his victory and finally stop the deplorable conditions that the Faunus were being subjected to.

While it may not have been a massive step, at least he had been able to increase their wages and provide some safer working conditions for them. The Great War had been over a century. There was no need for such hatred between the two people. Faunus and Humans were capable of working and living together in peace. The continued riots and strikes would also continue to endanger the SDC's profit and that could not be allowed. No matter what his parents had said, or how they had infected the Schnee family with their belief, Jacques had been the first break away from family's dogma.

Hopefully the rest of his children would follow in his footsteps.

Winter had accepted that Faunus were their equal a while ago, around the time that she had enrolled into military academy and had met several fellow trainees who were faunus. Weiss has always been a kind hearted child and he was quite sure she would realize the plight that the Faunus were suffering, under the oppressive regulations his brothers and cousins had imposed onto them.

Whitley, however, had proven to be quite stubborn on the matter. He saw that anyone without a few hundred thousand lien to their name was of no importance to him. Jacques couldn't fault his son. Afterall he had been quite the same way when he was younger. Then, in the midst of rebalancing the company's budget and finances, he had a revelation.

The common people did have a use. They were their consumers and thus had to be treated with at least a moniker of respect. While the Schnees were indeed a powerful family, but they would not have reached that spot without stepping upon the backs of other. So, Jacques had made a promise to at least treat those beneath him with some pity.

There was a light tapping at his door that brought him out of musings and song like that of icy wind.

"Father?" The voice of his fourteen year old daughter called out. Weiss must have become worried with his elongating absence.

"Allow me a few moments Weiss. I will join you momentarily.", he responded, his voice sounding far older than is should have been. Hopefully this trip would be the small vacation and personal gratification that he needed to recover.

 **X.**

"Are the preparations complete?" Adam asked one of his top lieutenants. The masked, boar man only nodded, silent with anger and vengeance. Adam couldn't blame him. Within a few more days their revenge against the accursed Schnee Dust Company. Would be enacted and the head of the greatest abusers of the Faunus would be severed by their blades.

The statistics and mission debrief had been three days before the actual attack, but the White Fang chapter would be separating into three separate strike groups. The inital strike would force the Schnee Defense Fleet to break apart, allowing for the second strike group to trap the Blizzard, the accursed warship of the Schnees, and board the ship.

Blake would be the third strike group. She would infiltrate the Blizzard, posing as an Atlas troop and help locate the Schnees. She would either assinate them herself, or help locate the safe room they would most definitely be hiding in when the attack started.

They had the ships. They had the men. They had the opportunity.

The White Fang would not waste this event. History would change soon, and this time the Faunus would come out on top.

"Are you ready?" The bull man turned to his partner. Blake stood beside him, his stalwart, driven companion. She only gave a firm nod, dedication storming in her eyes.

He then raised himself from the table that he had been seated at, hands firmly placed on its surface. His masked face looked down upon his loyal men and their own masks seemed to be morphed by excitement and apprehension.

"Gentlemen. This will be a changing point for the White Fang. You all know the plan and the rendezvous point after the attack. Everything hinges on our ability to follow through with our goals. I wish you all the best of luck." He said with a finality to his tone. Failure was not an option here. It couldn't be.

Silently, but full of energy, his lieutenants stood up and exited the room. Hopefully Adam would see them once again. They were all good, competent men, and if they, or any, were to fall, he would put them to rest with full honors.

"You know your mission. We have a Bullhead that will deliver you to the Blizzard's landing spot. There, you will infiltrate the ship as a guard. You will locate the Schnees and remain unocticed until the rest of our chapter attacks the ship. Try and wait for back up until you engage, but if the opportunity presents itself, you may go in for the kill. I will try and reach you as soon as I can.", he firmly said, not daring to look down at his partner. He couldn't afford to look weak. Not with one of the greatest victories for the Faunus rapidly approaching.

He didn't flinch as he felt wrap her arms around his back in a friendly hug.

"Take care of yourself alright?" She asked before she quickly retracted her arms, and the cat faunus left the room with silent steps.

"You too." He said to the empty room. A sentiment to not just her, but to everyone involved with the attack.

 **X.**

 _'Your mastery of this beast leaves much to be desired fool. It is a simple beast, manipulating it should be quiet an easy feat.'_ Sauron commented as Jaune fumbled with the reins of the horse that Bombadil and Goldberry had provided for the the three. The horse merely snorted in annoyance and bucked him off.

"Urgh!"

 _'Ghrrk!'_

Both Sauron and Jaune groaned out in pain as they landed harshly on the ground. Aura prevented them all from doing any damage, but the dull pain was still there. It also didn't help that they were wearing the required heavy Enforcer armor and the large mace cannon.

Tom's laughter also did not help the matter, especially with Sauron's temperament. Goldberry was far more reserved, but she held a hand in front of her mouth to help contain her laughter. Neo would have undoubtedly laughed at his misfortune, had she not been fumbling with the control of her own mount, who was just as, if not more rowdy and agitated then Jaune's.

The only person with a semblance of control over their mount was Roman, who only watched them struggle with their horses, while he leisurely sat upon his own. His bo staff lay to his right side, fastened to the saddle along with Melodic Cudgel. All of their horses and been laidened with bags of supplies, both for the day's trip to the next town and for their trip to the Blizzard.

Now the only problem was to get their horses to take them there. After several days of recovery and preparing, they were finally ready to depart to another town, since the nearby one didn't have an air port. At Selax, they would take a Bullhead flight to a coastal port, where the Atlas Battleship the Blizzard would be landed. That ship was a one way ticket to Atlas, where locating the refugees of Canvas would be much easier.

"Sunset and Mirage usually never act this way. Only with you two.", Tom observed as Sunset, a beautiful tanned horse, was once again forced to let Jaune clamber up on her. She was a strong mount, Tom had promised them they could hold almost double their weight, but she had taken a instant displeasure to Jaune had they had been delayed nearly thirty minutes due to their shenanigans.

"Here. Give the two of them to me. I will try to settle them down. Just sit tight for now eh?" Bombadil asked kindly, his voice soft around his loyal, but agitated horses. Neo teleported off, a cute, but angry pout adorning her face. Jaune was once again thrown off by the surprisingly strong horse. He took the reigns of the two unruly horses and walked them a short distance away. where he began to talk to them in a quiet voice, too quiet for them to possibly over hear. Goldberry only looked at them with a loving smile.

 _'Damned beast. Mountain Trolls were more cooperative than that accurse mare. Then again, they were not loyal to a Forest God, and were quite unintelligent. To give them some credit, they were excellent shock troopers. They crushed many a fragile man underneath their strength.'_

'I keep forgetting that you used to be a Dark Lord.' Jaune answered honestly. 'Our situation together as done a really good job of making me forget that.

 _'I just believe that your mind is not as developed as the rest of your kind. You have not truly understood or fear what I truly am.'_ Sauron snidely insulted, but at this point, Jaune had heard and experienced every insult that Sauron had at his disposal. It still hurt though.

 _'I always wondered why the Allfather choose you of all the mortals to bound me to. You have nothing special, no defining talents, no powerful magic. You are as run of the mill as they come. If Illuvatar wanted me to see the world, why not show me the best.?'_ The fallen Maiar hummed.

'Perhaps you needed a change in perspective?' Jaune meekly suggested, watching as Bombadil lead the horses back to them. They seemed far more benign and relaxed than just a few minutes before and they easily made their way back to Neo and Jaune.

"There we go. They should be more cooperative now. Hopefully they'll help you make your trip to Selax faster. Don't worry about bringing them back. They know their way home.", he said kindly. He grasped Roman's outstretched hand in a brotherly fashion, as the well dressed man leaned down to give his hand to the Forest God. Neo was currently giving Goldberry a warm hug, and the entity of the rivers was rubbing her hand on her back in a comforting gesture.

It was a strange sight, especially with Sauron's disposition on how they were ancient, powerful beings, from the same time period as himself. But yet they held such a different presence and acted far differently from Sauron would ever would. The thought of Sauron giving someone a warm hug almost made Jaune let out a laugh.

So engrossed in his own thoughts, Jaune missed Bombadil stroll over to him and bring his hand out in a friendly handshake. He also missed how he instinctively shook it with his own.

"Take care of yourself Jaune. The world is a dangerous place, and its already challenging enough with the spirit in your head. Sauron is influencing you, positively and negatively. He is doing it voluntarily and without his own notice.", The Lord of the Forest said quietly, but with a very firm voice. Sauron swirled with malice and annoyance as the primevsl embodiment of the first talked down to them.

"No matter what Sauron may say, you are one of the strongest willed mortals I have ever met. Not even some of the powerful Istari were able to resist his will, and yet here you are, a relatively ordinary man. I can see you doing great things when you have such little time to grow. You will be the only one to be able to change Sauron. Show him the beauty of this world please. I've lived long enough to see how much this world is truly worth. Everyone should have the chance to experience life as it should be. Teach and learn.", he said with a comfortingly strong voiced. He clapped a hand against Jaune's shoulder in a friendly gesture before he moved away, but he turned back to Jaune to utter one final piece of advice.

"Just remember Jaune. Your power is his, and his is yours. You merely need to ask for permission.", he whispered, his voice like the rustling of trees when a wind tore through their leaves. He gave them a glance before he turned his back on them once again,

' _The Forest God needs to learn his place. Even if he was the primeval lord of the trees, he still has no power over me, even when I am in this disembodied form. His words themselves are hollow, a false compliment and praise. It was meant to give you false hope. Do not allow such a feeble attempt at a lie to fill you with fake pride.'_ Sauron snidely remarked, and while Juane knew not to fully allow Sauron's words to affect him, even he knew that Bombadil's words, while kind, were very misplaced. Especially on the weakest Arc of the family.

Goldberry was next to send him a fare well, by wrapping him in a warm hug, that reminded Jaune of how his older sisters and mother used to hug him, and will hug him as soon as he found them in Atlas.

"No matter what, young Arc, our home will always be open to you and Sauron. Come by any time you need a vacation or need to hide. We will be waiting with warm food and a comfortable bed.", she said kindly and simply. There was a lot of warm emotion in her voice, and it filled Jaune with a river of hot honey, that comforted him from the subconscious chill of Sauron's shadow that followed him.

"You merely need to think, or wish for a warm place to stay, and you will find your way to us quicker than you think.", the primeval lady of the water said cryptically, but Jaune didn't pursue the matter. He was used to the old gods way of speaking. Although that didn't mean he understood them.

 _'Do no fear about your intelligence, fool. Her message is also hard for myself to decipher. But she did not give it without a reason.'_ Sauron warned, and Jaune could feel the Maiar peer through his eyes, most likely tinting them with a slight firey glow.

"Take care of yourself as well Sauron. Prove me wrong about my initial misgivings about you.", Goldberry added, her eyes, the color of spring, hardening. Like the spring storms, they held unknown power and age to them.

 _'Just because I haven't enacted any of my plans yet, does not mean I have given up my goals of transforming this wasteful world. No matter. Thank the mortalized entity for her hospitality.'_ Sauron irritatingly said, ignoring the fact that he had admitted to have plans to rule Remnant with Jaune listening.

"He just complaint about stuff. But he says thanks for all you've guys done for us." Jaune said with a dismissive wave of his hand. The lady of the river gained a surprised look before asking.

"He thanked us?" She asked in surprise. Jaune merely looked at her with a look that said, 'of course he did.' That was the proper and polite thing to do, and even with Sauron's pride and powers, even he could show gratitude.

"Hmmm. He's changed more than I thought." Goldberry hummed quietly as she walked away from them, so quiet that Jaune barely picked it up. She went to stand by her husband

"Come along Jaune! We have to catch the flight at Selax!" Roman urged, his horse neighing in impatience. Neo had taken to her own horse and was lovingly patting it for its compliance to her own orders. Jaune nodded in understanding and mounted his own ride, a practice which took him several times to get it properly down. He and Sauron found, to their great joy that Sunset did not immediately attempt to buck them off. Whatever Tom had done, it had certainly worked its magic in calming down their horse.

"Thank you for everything!" Jaune called as Sunset began to trek down the long dirt road. Neo had already made her way to the front, already done with farewells, but she was waving her hand in a goodbye gesture.

"I'll be sure to repay you for all that you've done for us. The next time we visit, I promise to bring back some exotic trinkets and treats from far away lands.", Roman vowed with his trademark smirk. Goldberry only chuckled before responding.

"We would appreciate it greatly Roman, but do make sure it isn't stolen or a counterfeit."

Roman sputtered indignation before he turned to follow Jaune and Neo down the road, his horse hastening its pace to catch up to them. Behind him, the Bombadils just waved in farewell.

"It should be about a day's journey to Selax. So get comfortable, getting a cramp on a horse is ill-advised.", Roman said as he trotted pass Jaune. The knight remained silent, nodding in understanding, feeling an uneasy feeling in his stomach. The masterthief must have noticed his discomfort for he asked.

"You alright? Or did those two dozen falls get to you?", Roman teased him, though there was a worried tone to it. "Or perhaps your stomach is upset that it ate a portion of breakfast meant for three people?"

 _'If he is upset at us for claiming more breakfast than him, than he has come to wrong place for sympathy. But I do think that something is wrong with your stomach. It boils and bubble like the volcano where my domain stemmed from'_

"Yeah. I'm not the best on vehicles, but I should be fine.", Jaune confessed. Roman nodded with narrowed eyes, before he urged his horse to trot ahead, their guide to the town of Selax.

The young knight turned back towards the Bombadil's cabin, but to his shock the wooden structure had been swallowed by by the forest, and there wasn't no lingering trace of the house. Only the ancient, deep fortress of trees and flora. It as if the forest had swallowed up the Bombadil's home, leaving nothing left.

Saruon merely snorted. _'It seems that they do retain some of their power from their age as gods.'_

Jaune stared in awe for a few more moments before he turned back to the road when he realized the house would not appear once again. He pulled of his decorated helmet from the side of the his saddle and admired his and Sauron's handiwork.

'I actually like our little logo.' Jaune said as he appraised the gold and black sigil that Jaune had painstakingly painted onto the white Enforcer helm. It was the black outline of a fiery eye, with golden details flaring through it. However, instead of a normal iris, the Arc family's symbol was placed in the middle of the eye, two arcs of gold in the dark.

 _'I concour. It is not the worst thing I have laid my eyes on.'_ Sauron agreed. _'Hopefully we will be actually able to keep this set of armor.'_

 **X.**

Jaune found that after a day on horse back, it left one very irritated. Especially when Jaune had to wear the heavy Atlas armor. He gave a groan of protest as he shifted uncomfortably on top of Sunset.

 _'One does not truly understand what they have until they lose it.'_ Sauron hummed, a bit torn on what to feel currently. At one point he found some amusement from Jaune's discomfort but at the same time he was also experiencing the discomfort. He chose to keep his mental mouth shut.

To add insult to injury, Roman and Neo looked refreshed and unperturbed by the day's travel, and both of them look jubilant and were conversing to one another. To be more precise, Roman was enthusiastically talking about a subject, while Neo either nodded or shook her head.

The road had taken them onto another dirt path, but this one had been highlighted with a plain white fence. A welcome change to there quickly monotonous scenery. Though it was quickly become boring to them as well. Not to mention, the night was quickly coming in, and the sun was disappearing over the horizon, blanketing the land in darkness and shadow.

It was a good thing that Jaune had Sauron to weave tales of his past to Jaune, making sure to tell him of his days before an official Dark Lord. Certainly helped distract him from the monotonous scenery.

 _'And the Demi-god werewolf overpowered me with his terrible, animalistic strength and began to viciously maul me. That marked one of my first and humiliating defeats. I had to recover for several decades and by the time I had regained_ _my strength my former master had been defeated and casted down into the void for eternity.'_ Sauron retold his tale as the trio of travelers continued down the trail.

'So you were a werewolf _and_ a vampire and lost against a god-like werewolf? Then you had to escape by transforming into a giant bat?' The ignorant mortal knight asked in awe and disbelief.

 _'Indeed, in my first form, I was a master of illusions and forms. Many enemies of mine were felled by my decievery and trickery.'_ The Maiar explained.

'Not much honor in tricks or lies.'

 _'You're persistence on honor and foolish morals will only take you so far in this world. You will learn soon enough hopefully.'_

'Well it seems that your way didn't work out for you in the end either.' Jaune retaliated. Instead of remarking back, Sauron only him gave an amused grunt before the elder god retreated into deep thought, leaving them in a comfortable silence.

Thunder crackled through the sky, and grey clouds moved quickly above them, swallowing the sky. The roar of a powerful storm shook the air and the horses neighed and snorted in fear.

"Damn! That storm just rolled out of nowhere! Hurry! Selax is just a few miles from here! If we're fast enough we can make it before it starts raining! I will not have my uniform ruined! It took good money for people to get this to me!" Roman complained, prompting them to hurry along the dirt path.

 _'Take caution. This storm is not natural.'_ Sauron warned. _'There is a powerful force nearby. It bends nature to its will. Be wary.'_

After hearing the seriousness in Sauron's voice, Jaune couldn't help but feel fear and worry send a shiver down his spine. He looked around him, the excellent visor of the Enforcer's helmet not restraining his view. With Sunset galloping faster and faster in order to keep pace with Neo's and Roman's own horses, Jaune couldn't make out anything wrong with the forests around them. It helped that Sauron, remained silent, intent on trying to find the source of the storm weaving power.

They both were in for a shock when Roman forceful stopped on the road, making Jaune pull hard on Sunset's reigns in an attempt to stop the horse from ramming the one infront of them. His efforts paid off and his horse came to a stop several feet behind Roman's horse. She stamped her hooves in irritation, braying with impatience.

"What's the mat-", Jaune was silenced by the abnormally acting master theif. The uniformed man only raised one finger in a gesture to be silent and beckoned his hand for Jaune and Neo to follow him. Melodic Cudgel and the Atlas bo-staff were in his hands as he hurriedly rushed to the tree line on their right. Neo followed close behind, her umbrella blade drawn, leaving Jaune to play catch up and both had taken to putting on their helmets, prompting Jaune to follow in their stead.

 _'Perhaps now I should appreciate that your weapon can be holstered on your wrist. Where else would we holster your masterfully crafted sword?'_ Sauron commented as Jaune followed them into the brush, Crocea Mors secured snugly to his back. He gave a quick look back to the horses and saw that they had taken to the fields to the left of the dirt path, and were grazing on the rich grass.

'I'm glad they didn't run off. Seems Mister Bombadil has a way with animals.' Sauron merely snorted at Jaune's comment. To their surprise they saw another horse run away, not even disturbing their own from their feeding. It sped away, clearly frightened by something.

 _'Do not give that strange being too much credit. He weaved some of his magic onto the creatures. Not to impressive in my own opinion.'_ The Maiar curtly explained, irritated most likely by the misusage of power that Bombadil had used.

'Magic!?' Jaune asked in wonder.

 _'Perhaps magic is too strong a word. Ahhh that's it! Words! That's the best term I can use for what he did.'_

'What type of words did he use?' Jaune asked in wonder.

 _'Do not get your hopes up. You do not possess the ability to utter the language of the old gods. It is a vernacular that is beyond the tongues of mortals. Man, Elves, and Dwarves do not possess the ability to speak or comprehend the words of my kind or the Valar.'_

'Oh, I was just wondering how words can be so powerful.'

 _'The depths of you're ignorance are as vacuous as the Void itself. Words are what win wars. Speeches rally the soldiers. Threats and orders move them to your bidding. Bribes and deceivery reveals the enemies weakness. The shouts of a lord are what makes the servants bow. In some cases words can sometimes triumph actions.'_

'Oh! Like how 'the pen is mightier than the sword.'

 _'I do not know what a pen is.'_

'A writing utensil.'

 _'Then you already have your answer. How can a writing utensil hope to match up to the strength and durability of a weapon of war?'_

'No, it isn't like that. I think the pen is a metaphor for words. Just like you said!" Jaune insisted.

 _'Then why not simply say that?'_

'I don't know! It's just a simple saying.' Sauron merely gave a grunt of disgust and disbelief, but their attention was taken from them as they arrived behind Roman. The man had hidden himself behind a bush and was staring at something on the road infront of them. Had they stayed on their horses for much longer they would have undoubtedly met up with the current ruckus on the path.

"What's the matter?" Jaune whispered to Neo. The silent girl only nodded her head further down the road where from Jaune was, he could only make out several figures. The distance, however, was too far for him to see.

 _'Inferior human.'_ Sauron insulted. _'Allow me.'_

The familiar feeling of Sauron's vision encompassing his own, came over Jaune like a fiery sensation. Luckily, by this point he was quite used to it. Their vision sharpened and what was once blurs were now the crystal clear forms of people.

There were four in total. Three of them were standing around a kneeling figure, though there seemed to be something wrong with the whole scenario. If evident by the way how Roman had transformed the bo staff into its rifle form and had taken aim at the lead figure, that appeared to be a dark haired woman with an outstretched hand. Two other stood beside her, a tall grey haired, young man and a shorter green haired woman. All three were leering down at the woman on the ground, making a spark of anger ignite in his chest.

 _'The kneeling woman is injured.'_ Sauron observed and Jaune's eyes trailed over to the kneeling woman. To his horror there was a prominent arrow point sticking out of her back. A thin trail of blood was flowing from the wound. It had seemed that the wound had seemingly crippled her for the time being, leaving her vulnerable to her assailants.

"We're going to save her right?" Jaune inquired of his companions, who had remained deathly silent and utterly transfixed on the assailants.

"Uh yeah. Save her. That's what we're going to do.", Roman agreed, although the fumbling of his usually composed speech hinted that he was thinking of doing something else. "On my mark, we all fire our weapons. Aim for the lead woman."

Neo's Atlas pistol clicked as she prepared to shot, her pink and brown eye might as well have been dagger for how sharp they had become. Her blade was gripped between small fingers, that had turned white due to how tight she was holding it.

 _'We finally get the chance to try out this wrist cannon! I am exhuberant to see its destructive properties.'_ The once Lord of Darkness, eagerly said. Jaune nodded and went to the Enforcer baton that had been positioned on his wrist.

With the flick of a switch, the baton began shifting, small metal plates that made up the blunt weapon's body. One of the ends of the baton, luckily the one pointed away from Jaune, began to thicken, as the metal began to contract. In several seconds, the mace had been transformed into a small, cannons-like gun.

 _'We will have to study and learn the mechanisms of transforming weapons. They will be a great advantage for us in the future if we are able to harness their abilities.'_

Jaune hummed in agreement as he aimed his wrist cannon in the the general direction of the brigands on the road. Both he and Neo waited in silence as they waited for Roman's signal. The silence and tension was thick enough to be cut through by a relatively sharp instrument. Even Sauron remained silent, not wanting to disturb Jaune's concentration.

The knight could feel himself get hot under the heavy armor was wearing as the standing woman raised her hand towards the wounded girl on her knees. With his eye's enhanced by Sauron's vision, he could make out there was something very wrong with the woman's hand. There was something black and unnatural moving around her hand, and it made Jaune incredibly uneasy. Then, it speared itself into kneeling woman's face.

"Now!" The masked thief commanded, his rifle firing rounds at the girl's assailants. Jaune's finger twitched and the command for the wrist cannon to fire commenced.

For Jaune to be honest, he knew that the cannon had to have kick to it. It was a cannon after all, but to his surprise, it didn't have as much kick as he expected. Just enough to throw off his aim.

A large bolt of pale energy sailed through the air, followed by several smaller bolts. While the smaller rounds actually managed to hit their targets, forcing the women and her companions away in surprise, Jaune's own shot missed by at least two feet to the right. It sent a small explosion that kicked up enough dust and dirt that it made seem that Jaune actually did more than he did.

Neo teleported out from their foliage hiding place with a cracking of glass, before reappearing at their targets' back. With a swift kick to the head, she was able to bring down a grey haired male, before she began to engage the smaller female with her sword. The emerald haired girl swung at Neo with a pair of twin sickle like weapons, not unlike the weapon that the powerful Apprentice from several days ago had used.

Their leader, or the one Jaune assumed to be their leader, drew out two silver short swords and was ready to join her minion in her duel with Neo had a rifle blast not slammed into her, curtesy of Roman. Her head snapped towards their directions, and Jaune felt that something incredibly bad was about to happen.

His fears were answered as the woman spewed a great ball of fire at them. Jaune tucked and rolled out of the way of the incoming projectile, ignoring Sauron's jabs at the woman's poor pyromancy. An explosion of heat and flame blasted Jaune into a nearby tree, leaving him disoriented and quite aching.

It took him several moments to find his bearings as well as fix his helmet so that he could properly see. When he he finally regained his proper vision, he found that the spot that he had initially inhabited was now a scorched crater, with the foliage reduced to ashes and with vines of fire devouring nearby flora.

Roman, as well, had dodged and was currently fighting against the flame wielding woman with his bo-staff. It was evident however, even with Roman's skills, that he was being out matched by his opponent. Her short swords met against his staff in great flashes of sparks and dust, and Roman's Aura flared green as the woman managed to maneuver away from his defenses and impact against him.

He was capable though of taking his pound of flesh. His staff smashed into the woman's side and with a twirl, began to strike her in a series of fast and devastating blows that would have undoubtedly brought down Jaune. She, however, took the beating as if she couldn't feel it at all. The slashes from her sword soon sent Roman skidding back from the sheer force behind them.

 _'It would be in your best interest fool, to actually aid your compatriots in battle. Neo seems to be holding her own, so I suggest as the best tactical option that you attack the woman attacking Roman.'_

The hum of the fusion cannon firing was the only evidence that Jaune had followed his mental companion's advice. A large blast of colorless energy hurled through the air, and the young knight's aim proved true as the projectile was heading in the direction of the woman. A direct and devastating hit, even with her aura.

Except, she held out a single hand and merely absorbed the explosion from the cannon. She slowly turned her head towards him, her eyes like burning stars, and a smirk that might as well have been a dagger, and raised her right hand slowly.

 _'Oh dear.'_ Sauron merely commented.

Jaune's assailant returned his favor and sent a similarly sized fireball directly at him. Before Sauron could yell at Jaune's foolishness at not doing anything or Jaune could actually move, they found the knight hurtling through the air with a blackened portion of his chest plate smoking.

He crashed into the dirt path in a cloud of dirt and rocks, leaving him in a small crater and the breathe thoroughly knocked out of his lungs. Jaune was incredibly grateful at this point, for both his aura and armor, for he at this point only felt a slight ache rattle him from a blow that would have been fatal to a normal civilian.

 _'We will have to be more cautious on how you engage foes. That women is obviously just as strong, or even stronger than the necromancer's Apprentice we faced. We should leave her to Roman's more capable hands and aid Neo's efforts.'_

Jaune grunted in agreement and raised himself out of the crater, taking note that the front of his chestplate had a large dent in it, and the normal polished white coating had been blackened and burned. He was incredibly lucky indeed that the metal plating was durable and thick, otherwise he had been slightly cooked by the intense fire ball.

Roman, it seemed, had regained his footing and was fairing far better than his initial bout with the firey woman. He had adopted a far more defensive fighting style and hadn't allowed any of her blows to strike him, instead waiting for her to over extend and then retaliate.

Neo was currently being beset by the woman's two companions, and although she was holding her own the occasional strike would make it through her own defenses and would whittle down her aura. With a flick of her blade, she parried away the emerald girl's two weapons away and she was thrown back by Neo's attack. However, that left her open to the grey haired male, who rushed into her blind spot and looked ready to unleash a powerful kick on the undefended Neo.

The blast of a powerful cannon knocked him away, courtesy of an angered Jaune. Neo's assailant flew a couple of feet, before he landed harshly onto the ground in a tumble of limbs. He righted himself in an instant, and his eyes narrowed dangerously at him.

"You bastard!" He howled in anger and the bottom of the man's feet exploded and he hurled himself at Jaune.

The young knight felt fear rush through him as he saw his opponent literally rocket towards him, but Sauron was there to quail it. _'Do not fear this opportunity. When I give you the signal, strike him with the mace as hard as you can. Trust my judgment.'_

Jaune internally nodded and allowed himself to wait for Sauron's signal. Seconds seemed to span for ours, as the man inched his way closer and closer to Jaune, giving him the impression that there were more to the man's legs then initial appearances gave.

Jaune closed his eyes and reared his arm back, the cannon on his wrist ready to be used as a make shift weapon. He trusted Sauron at the moment. The Dark Lord saw things that he could never imagine, and had been a far more capable combatant than him.

The Maiar trusted him too, though he would never say it.

 _'Now!'_ He commanded and Jaune swung his arm out in a straight arc. The satisfying sound of metal crashing against something met the knight's ears and the pained shout of disbelief was the cherry on top.

Their opponent was sent to the ground, effectively clotheslined by his wrist cannon. Though he didn't stay down for long. Blinded by the successful hit, they didn't see the incoming leg that had suddenly swung out from beneath them.

It collided painfully against the side of Jaune's head and he stumbled back, dazed. The moment of distraction allowed the grey haired man to escape from his compromising position. He shot up and assumed a fighter's pose as Jaune regained his bearings.

 _'So he wishes to challenge the Dark Lord in battle does he? I will crush his feä. Or for me to be more exact, you will. Go and defeat this insignificant bug.'_

He gulped in anxiety before he rushed forward to meet his charging foe. Their opponent sent out two kicks with his powerful leg, both powerful and forcing Jaune on the defensive. He raised his left arm in attempt to shield himself, and luckily he was able to catch it. Unluckily it had the force of a speeding truck behind it.

 _'This man's leg are indeed powerful. But they will be his down fall.'_ Sauron said, as his vessel weaved out of the way of another kick, only to be caught by surprise by a quick round house kick.

'I don't see how. He is currently beating the shit out of me.' Jaune protested as he slid back from the force of the kick. Even with his heavy armor and his aura, those kicks still hurt and were incredibly powerful.

Soon they would crush his armor and tear through what aura he had left.

 _'Indeed, they are, but they are still his greatest weakness. Block his next kick and you will see his combat flaw.'_ The mentally imprisoned Maiar advised, observing as their opponent rushed towards them. His mortal partner only mentally acknowledged him as he prepared his defense.

Once again, the grey-haired man sent a powerful kick towards them, this time to their right side. Jaune's Enforcer mace raised to block the blow, and luckily the wrist mounted weapon was able to absorb most of blow. And has Jaune struggled to hold back the ferocious kick, relaxation hit him.

 _'Yes. If you move past your foolishness and the chains that bind Man to failure, you are capable of doing decent feats.'_ Sauron commended and insulted at the same time.

Jaune ignored it, and rationalized as their assailant forced himself to break away from their engagement. While indeed, those legs could kill people, they would be the one weakness he could exploit. For when their opponent kicked them, he could only do so with _one_ leg. So if Jaune managed to properly block one of his foe's blow, he could capitalize on the opening and actually land a hit on him.

With a mighty swing, his mace tore through the air, but unfortunately their target merely backstepped and went on the offensive to assault their opened flank.

Just as he planned.

Their opponent's leg was caught by his right arm, and it buckled slightly under the force like it had done before. Now, however, Jaune struck back. Even with no weapon, just his armored fist, he would make it count.

His fist met the unexpecting face of the kicker and with a satisfying sound of flesh being squished, he forced him away. They grey haired man slid back and numbly rubbed his jaw while he looked at Jaune in disbelief. Then, a ferocious smirk made its way to his face.

"What's your name Merc?" He said with a cocky, arrogant tone. Jaune blinked in surprise at the direct address from his enemy. It had been the only time ever he had heard his enemy's voice, except for the one istnace at the beginning of their fight where he had howled at Jaune for being a bastard.

 _'Do not give your full name. Or your name in general. If he learns of it and escapes from this battle, he may be able to hit us down based on your name. Be wary of what information you give.'_ The voice of Sauron warned as Jaune thought on how to properly answer the question.

'What do you propose?' Jaune asked his soul partner, wanting to please him and not agitate him further.

 _'Well, I would have advised for you to name yourself something menacing such as Evicerator or to something of that degree, but then I realized how the name does not suit you at all.'_

'Does everything you say have to be an insult towards me?'

 _'You are not the one with a feä bounded to an incredibly weak and insignificant human.'_

'You're right, but I'm the one stuck with the most arrogant being in existence.'

The bickered, truly not wanting to insult the other but just for the sport of it. Sauron woud never admit it to him, but he was getting better at it.

"Crocea Mors.", Jaune answered after he realized that he had spent just a few moments too long conversions with Sauron, completely forgetting about about their opponent.

"Sounds foreign. I like it. The names Mercury Black. Remember it beacuase it'll be the last name you'll learn!" He angrily yelled as the bottoms of his feet once again exploded and he hurled his way towards an unexpecting Jaune.

The knight was bowled over by the meteor that was Mercury. He crashed into the ground with a groan of pain and was further pushed into the dirt when Mercuplanted both of his feet on his chest and allowed an explosion to expel him away from Jaune.

Out of anger, Jaune raised his Enforcer mace and transformed it into its cannon configuration and sent several powerful bolts after his assailant. Mercury merely flipped away from them, showing an impressive amount of control and skill as he dodged and wevaed his way out of the explosions.

 _'He's far stronger than you as well as skilled. If you continue to fight like this, you will lose. We need to find an game changing advantage.'_

'How do we do that?' Jaune asked as he continued to send bolt after bolt of cannon fire at Mercury, keeping the much more powerful combatant at bay for the moment.

 _'In my experience in warfare, an advantage does not nessecarily have to be a combat related one. Goals and objectives can be changed and twisted.'_ The war mongering Dark Lord hinted. Jaune's eyes caught the struggling body of their previous victim. The woman with the arrow in her chest was on the ground. Her breathing was labored and a pool of blood was forming beneath her. She needed help and fast.

 _'They want her, or something that she holds of value. If you hold her, you change the game. You know what to do mortal.'_

Jaune nodded in understanding before he began to bolt towards the girl, after shooting a few more shoots at the nimble Mercury, giving him a few precious seconds to run and reach the girl. The task itself was difficult enough with his heavy armor and how he was beginning to tire, but he was filled with adrenaline in the heart of combat and he forced himself towards the girl.

He briefly saw Roman scurry away from a thin stream of fire that was chasing after him. The disguised theif preformed a daring flip that righted himself and fired several rifle round shots into his assailant. All of the shots were merely blocked by her outstretched hand, a wave of fire protecting her. With his attack thwarted, Roman was once again on the move, dodging flaming attacks that could possibly kill him.

Neo had more success against her own opinion, who was faltering against the silent girl's many powerful strikes. The emerald haired girl, which Jaune had just nicknamed Emerald due to not wanting to waste anymore time on such a trivial matter such as names.

The girl he found, was in far worse shape then he initially expected. The arrow had gone through her, and the arrow head was poking out of her back. However, the most pressing matter was a squirming mass of black on her face. It was like a web that was slowly growing on her face, and judging by the noises escaping her unconcious mouth, it was painful.

 _'It is a parasitic organism. It is slowly stealing away her feä. She has a lot of feä within her but if it continues to eat away at it, she will surely die.'_

'Well how do we save her!?' Jaune hurriedly asked as he gently propped the girl's head into his lap in an attempt to support her.

 _'Any orthodox methods would most likely harm her as well. If you truly wish to save her, you might as well end her here. That mercy will spare her from a long, painful death.'_ The Dark Lord said, a small hint of mercy showing, either a sign of him growing in emotional capacity or an attempt to appease the idealistic Jaune.

The young Arc, however, had other plans then just let the injured girl die. Roman and Neo would know how to save her. His family would most definitely save her. It was time for him to prove his worth to everyone, including the old gods, who had bounded him to Sauron.

'So this thing eats the power of a soul?' Jaune questioned as he looked up to check his surroundings. Luckily, Mercury and Emerald were currrently embrawled in a fight against Neo, who had fined tuned herself to fight them both and was currently holding her own against the two. Roman was still on the run from the women of fire, who had seemed to be further aggravated by the theif's antics, and was attempting to blast him away with fire.

 _'Absolutely not. The plan you are concocting is foolish. You will only injure yourself and by extension me. Freely giving the power of feä is not something you should think of doing willingly. That is your very soul you are playing with. Hold the girl hostage and provide some advantage for the rest of your companion. Roman is being overpowered by the pyromancer.'_ Sauron noted.

Currently, the thief was outmatched against her, which terrified Jaune and put Sauron on edge. The master theif was one of the most formidable warriors he knew, and for him to be overpowered by this woman meant that she was a monster of a huntress.

On his own, Roman would be killed.

That is until a blast of gunfire, slammed into Cinder and effectively disoriented the surprised pyromancer. From seemingly out of nowhere, a grizzled looking man with a large, transforming sword was running towards them. Great blasts of bullets were raining down on the woman, forcing her to back off in ordred to escape the hail of bullets.

Jaune's hopes however, were dashed when a similar blast made its way to Roman, who sidestepped the shotgun rain and began to return fire at the newcomer. The sword's blade snapped back into place and the massive edge of the sword sunk into the ground where Roman had just previously been.

 _'A new comer. A dangerous one at that. If you're going to do something, I suggest you do it now before we run out of time.'_ Sauron suggested. Taking the hint, Jaune allowed a portion of his firey soul to form in his hand. White with hints of Sauron's gold, the soul fire coagulated within the palm of Jaune's armored hand, the very essence of their power.

Then, he placed it upon the black abnormallity and flowed his power through the substance, despite the very outraged and loud shouts of anger from a Sauron. Jaune honestly didn't know why the fallen Maiar was angry with him. He had always followed his advice.

Initally, the substance burned his hand, even through his aura, and Jaune winced in pain at the unusual sensation that pricked his hand. But he pushed through the pain, and he poured the fire of his soul through the entity.

The shadowy mass began to burn away, unable to eat such an old and unfamiliar power. It was too strong for such a simple parasite and the power of the soul escaped through the rapidly deteriorating being. Soon enough, the mass of shadow disappeared, leaving thins trails of scars all over the girl's face, but those too were slowly fading away, healed by Jaune.

The young knight retracted his hand and saw that there was a great shimmering around the girl, her aura coming to stop and heal the wound in her chest.

 _'Fool. You've wasted some our your own feäs strength killing that parasite. The power of your shielding will be diminished and it will take time for us to recover the portion of our strength back.'_ The Maiar chastised but made no more argument on Jaune's actions. The foolish boy wasn't going to listen either way.

Their musings however, were cut short when they felt a pair of feet crash into Janue's front and send him tumbling backwards. The blow was strong enough to send him reeling and he actually smashed through the wooden fence that ran across the side of the road.

 _'Your special awarness needs to be improved greatly. I do not approve of always being thrashed around by unseen attacks.'_

Jaune grunted and reoriented himself on the newcomer, who had most likely kicked him away from the wounded girl, was cradling her just like Jaune had, only he had a very strong grimace on. He swirled his head around, his grizzly unkept hair firmly stuck to his head, assesing the situation.

Then with a great blast of wind, and of flurry of black feathers that covered them both, a great black bird emerged. It was enormous, nearly four times the size of their horses and with feathers as long as Crocea Mors.

' _An impressive display of magic and prowess.'_ The Maiar congratulated as Jaune remained shellshocked, much like the rest of the battlefield, who watched in awe of the great bird.

Carefully, the gigantic avian titan picked up the wounded girl in its talons, and with a great burst of wings, it propelled itself into the sky. It was a magnificent sight, but all the more disappointing to Jaune to the fact they had allowed the injured girl to be taken them.

"That damned Qrow! Mercury! Emerald! Kill them!" The female pyromancer shouted as a strange symbol began to glow at her feet with a dim purple presence. From the corner of his eye, Jaune saw as Roman engaged Mercury with his bo-staff and Neo slinked off with her teleportation. That left Jaune with the emerald girl, who in fact was named Emerald to his pride.

 _'Be wary. She may not have the strength of Mercury Black, but she does remain an unknown. Fight her with caution.'_

Emerald's eyes narrowed on him, and her curved, small scythes transformed rapidly into dual revolving pistols. She began to shoot with them at Jaune. Reflexively, Jaune held up his left arm to cover his head a several bullets impacted his armor. There were several loud clangs of metal hitting metal and he could feel where the bullets had hit him, but the armor stood strong against the onslaught.

He, himself, began shooting back at her with his wrist cannon, but much like her compatriots, she merely maneuvered out of the way of them.

'This weapon is better for larger targets, or for crowds of enemies.' Jaune groaned in annoyance as he popped out the used dust crystal from the Enforcer weapon and loaded a spare back into it.

 _'Another option is that you have terrible aim.'_

Emerald continued to blast the young knight with her revolvers, running in a continuous circle, quickly out maneuvering the weighed down and much slower opponent.

Jaune's eyes continued to trace her, picking up on her patterns and predicting when he could effectively land a blast from the Enforcer cannon, when she disappeared.

Then reappeared briefly, like a flicker, before she once again vanished from his vision. This continuous reappearing and disappearing act was quickly disorienting Jaune, who began to wildly move his head around in order to keep up with the rapidly fluctuating girl.

'What's going on?' the young Arc questioned as he shook his head and tired to shake away the problem with his eyes. Thankfully he had Sauron to aid him.

 _'She's using an illusion. While you may not be able to see through it, I can. It's affecting your vision since we share the same eyes.'_ He explained as the Maiar easily traced the path that their assailant was taking.

'Well what do we do? I can't hit her like this!' Jaune complained as he tried and failed to blast the flickering image of the girl.

 _'Simple foolish mortal. We use my better vision. Now close your eyes.'_ The Dark Lord snarked and Jaune could feel the back of his eyes sting with irritation as the powerful presence of the old god willed itself into his eyes.

Even if they had done this before, to was still a rather strange feeling. Even with his eyes closed, Jaune could still see, but it was like seeing through an old camera. Far more different than what his eyes were use to.

Yet, he could see almost the same as he had before, and the image of the flickering girl no long blinked in and out of existence, but now stayed visible, if not a little hazy. However, a hazy image was a much easier target then no target at all. He raised his Enforcer cannon and focused in the general are where the noticeably slower moving target was.

 _'She has grown arrogant in her illusions. She doesn't not believe you can hurt her. Prove this simpering sycophant wrong.'_

Jaune found, to his delight, that his aim had gotten better. The blast from the Enforcer cannon had effectively knocked down the unsuspecting girl and the illusion that she had weaved around them shattered like thin ice. A beep from his right wrist indicated that his cannon was out of ammunition.

That was fine. He wanted to try something else.

 _'Ohh. You mortals have a gift for entertaining gods. This will be a fun spectacle.'_ Sauron said as Jaune retracted Crocea Mors off his back, the mithril blade hissing like a serpent. The new, reforged sword felt unfamiliar, but it was far lighter than its original form. Within him, he could feel absolute pride roll off of Sauron as he appraised the newly forged blade, ready to taste combat.

Emerald merely snarled at him as she got into a crouching position, her twin weapons shifted into their small scythe forms. Her red eyes narrowed into daggers at his approaching form, but Jaune held firm. Even if he couldn't save the wounded girl from the monstrous bird, he could at least deliver some justice to her original assailants. His hands tightened on the smooth and thick grip of leather that bound the metal of the hilt. While he wasn't as familiar with the two-handed style of swordfifhting, Sauron had made sure to give him the basics. If that failed him, he would could always revert back to his previous way of fighting and unholster his shield from his back.

Too both

"Enough! To me!" Their leader called loudly. The sigil that she had conjured before had reach its maximum level of luminosity, and a hellish glow had filled the surrounding area. Dumbfounded, Jaune was too slow to react as Emerald began to blast Jaune with her twin revolvers, forcing him into a purely reflex move and cover his face with his arm. Taking advantage of his momentary blindness, she bounded away and joined the sprinting Mercury. Both of them joined their leader in the glowing sigil, giving them all cocky smirks of victory. Then, within the sigil, they all disappeared in a brilliant pillar of fire, leaving only Neo, Roman, and Jaune in the battlescarred field.

 _'Cowards. They would have rather retreated then fight.'_ Sauron snarled. _'My creation didn't even get the chance to taste the fire of battle yet.'_

Jaune merely grunted in agreement as he sheathed Crocea Mors back on his back. Roman and Neo were already converging onto the middle of the path, so Jaune began to slowly jog his way towards them, realizing how hurt and and tired he was.

They all looked a bit worse for wear. Roman's meticulously cleaned disguise had been covered in ash and soot and some portions of the white armor had been completely burned off, giving an asymmetrical look to it. Neo looked relatively fine, were it not for the small gash and dents to her armor, most likely from her intense bouts with Mercury and Emerald.

Roman pulled off his helmet, revealing his sweat matted face and hair and his anger. His teeth were gritted and his eyes were wild with disbelief and outrage. With a mighty heave he drove his _blunt_ staff into the ground several inches and placated himself by dragging a gloved hand across his face.

"She was far stronger than what I first thought.", he growled as he began to pace back and forth. He abruptly turned towards them and asked. "Did they see any of your faces?"

They shook their heads as an answer to a negative.

"Alright. Maybe it isn't as bad as I thought.", Roman breathed in relief.

 _'Question him on his intentions. He knew the identity of those we were engaged with.'_

Jaune agreed and turned to Roman who looked to be recovering from a nasty surprise.

"Who were those people?" Jaune didn't intend for his voice to be as harsh as it was, but they did nearly die from Roman's orders and he thought he had the right to know why they had done their deed.

"The woman who wielded fire was my former employer. She was a dangerous woman so I took my chances with assainating her while I got the chance. Cinder was far stronger then I could possibly imagine. Luckily we got off with a few bruises.", the messy their just sighed in irritation before he stomped off towards where they had hidden their horses.

 _'Failed perhaps our attack was. But not fruitless. They were fools to lead their leader out for a personal attack. No competent leader should ever get complacent. I will surmise that they were not expecting an attack from us. You have proven yourself to be a foe. While not an exemplary warrior or an average one to be completely honest. In all fairness you would be a youngling before turning into a squire.'_ Sauron continued on his tangent on how inferior Jaune was for several seconds. _'Either way, you can fight. You have become a part of this now Jaune. Welcome to the reality of battle. A constant affair where variables and unknowns are the dooms for all._

 **X.**

Seething fire hung in the room. It warped and flared dramatically, angry and waiting to make and tear and eat. The one that controlled the element was no better.

Cinder was placated on her throne, a replica mind you of her Queen's. There was no way she would ever dare of sitting upon the furniture of the divine. The punishment for such arrogance and pride would be a fate far worse than death.

So she had made her own one in her own quarters, where she could sit and wait until the day when she could sit upon the throne. For now, however, she was outraged by the recent turn of events.

Not only had her plans been foiled, it had revealed that her plans were not as secure as she thought, nor as full proof. Ozpin had been aware of her movements and had sent a squad of the Guard Dogs of the North to stop her. From what she saw, they were an upper covert operations squad, their normal armor colored with various designs.

They must have not been quite sure of what Cinder's plans were, but when they finally ascertained her intentions, they leapt into action. They had begun to fire upon her with fire arms and one of them even carried a powerful wrist cannon. She had initially thought the owner of the weapon foolish and untrained for missing such an easy shot, but realization hit her when she brewed.

Why would their opponent blast them with a cannon, when the Maiden they were supposed to protect stood not too feet away from them. It had been meant as a warning and a diversionary tactic.

The engaging unit was not terrible, but not at the high enough level of strength and expertise to permanently put them down, especially when she had absorbed only a measly quarter of the maiden's power before they were interrupted. The thought itself was making her fume. She hadn't even absorbed half of the maiden's power.

Their leader had obviously engaged her themselves and one of their more compotent members had engaged both Mercury and Emerald. Their gunner had stayed behind to lay down cover fire with their cannon, but once they realized such firepower wouldn't work against her, the gunner had aided their comrade in combatting her own minions.

The battle itself wasn't too taxing. Her foe was not skilled or clever enough to overcome her own fighting style as well as her semblance, which had been enhanced by the Maiden's powers. Though he had proven to be a very slippery opponent, weaving away and dodging the great firestorms that she had created.

She winced slightly as she slowly healed the bruise on her arm where she had taken a rather nasty hit from her assailant. Her aura had been unreliable and fluctuating greatly, forcing her aura shielding to be far weaker then it should have been. Cinder had amde up for her lack of defense with her fiery offense, making sure for her to keep her opponent from touching her with great waves of fire.

Mercury and Emerald had come off worse, their injuries due to the combined hits of the smaller Guard Dog, and the blast from the gunner. While their aura had managed to protect them from most of the damage the small armament brought, they were left with some rather nasty bruises. Mercury had several in his body and even his mechanical legs needed to be fine tuned and repaired.

Ozpin had been far more active then she had expected and they had paid dearly for their complacency. She didn't expect for the old man to send some of his agents against her so early. Ozpin had always been a very defensive player, creating a fortress that one had to have massive amounts of forces to defeat, and even then, the mysterious man always had contingency plans.

The Necromancer had proven how powerful the third player of the game was when one of his massive armies of the undead had been utterly defeated on their assault on one of Ozpin's many fortresses and strongholds spanning across Remnant. Not even her Mistress's armies could engage the Necromancer and one of his Apprentices without hefty losses that required months to replace.

Still, for him to actively attack them. Perhaps something prompted him to. It mattered little now. Even with the sudden arrival and departure of the Crow, Cinder knew where the injured Maiden would be brought to.

Beacon.

The fortress of the Old Wizard.

Hopefully, the White Fang would be able to pull of their own operation. Cinder had to funnel some of her own resources and clients to send ships and weaponry to them. It would be such a disappointment if they couldn't pull it off. For her and for them as she did not loan without payment being assured, and if the White Fang expected for them to get off a failure scot-free, then they were wrong and would pay for it in blood.

 **X.**

"Is everything prepared?" The firm voice of Jacques Schnee asked one of his lieutenants. He was a competent man and had not failed spectacularly like some of the officers that had entered SDC security force. That being said, he also had not done any amazing feat that would have propelled him from his status as a lieutenant. Such a good waste of payment and space.

"Yes sir. The Blizzard has been fully stocked with all nessecary equipment and rations. All munitions have been loaded, all the Blizzard's weaponry have been checked and are at optimal conditions. The escort fleet is twenty minutes out, and consist of nine ships. Four frigates, three destroyers, and two battleships.", the helmeted man listed off. "As well, the mercenaries that you hired to be commanding officers will be here by tomorrow."

Indeed, one of the most dubious and unforeseen choices that he had to make. His command staff had already been stretched thin over the recent months, especially with the emergence of the White Fang. With a low amount of actually trained officials and officer to guide soldiers and guards, Jacques had reached out to former Atlas personnel in order to fill the ranks, a clear sign of a rapidly deteriorating defense force. All kingdoms of the pass that failed all began by using mercenaries as officers.

The CEO of the SDC wold not allow for such a thing to happen. Not for the company that so many had bled and died for.

Like his wife.

No, as soon as the trip to the Citadel, the most southern part of Atlas, ended, he would be discharging the mercenaries as quickly as possible. They would be paid sure, but after that, all interactions with The would be cut off.

"Thank you for the report Lieutenant. You are dismissed for now. I will see you on the bridge tommorow morning.", Jacques said as he stood up from the meeting table that lay within the Blizzard's conference room. Over the years, he had become quite familiar with this room, as some of the most important, bills, agreements and compromises have been made. He treated this room with its respect, and kept it at an upmost, pristine condition.

"Yes sir! I will see you tommorow.", the lieutenant reaffirmed and quickly stood up and exited the room. It wasn't quite obvious he did not want to anger his superior and had opted to leave as quickly as possible. Smart man indeed.

The patriarch of the Schnee family only gave one last look to the room, before he departed for his quarters, which were located within the very center of the large battleship. Soldiers, mechanics, technicians, and other assorted staff rushed past him as he trekked through the long halls of the ship, all of them stopping to salute or politely greet him.

He only nodded and greeted them back. Jacques wasn't naive enough to think he could learn and remember all the names of his employees, but he did make sure that he let them know that he appreciated all their work. The least he could do for them is at least be cordial with his employees. Although he did see a rather short soldier, with her helmet covering her face, quickly behind a corner while she was going down a hallway towards him. It still seemed

His room was as lavish as the Blizzard could allow, which was very lavish indeed. It was huge, nearly half the size of the cafeteria in the lower decks, responsible for feeding all the personnel on board the ship. While his employees, soldiers, staff, and other personnel that worked for the SDC had beds that were more like boxes compared to the bed that awaited Jacques, though they were beds that hotels used in their suites. Affordable and effective, the very lifeblood of a company.

The Schnee did make a quick stop though, in order to gaze longingly upon a small picture that he had preciously framed in a gold rimmed box.

 _'Some day dear. I'll fix this company. And to you old friend, I'll repay you and your family's generosity to me.'_

 **X.**

 **Well there it is. Sorry if there are some grammar mistakes in there. I don't have the eye for it, but hopefully you guys enjoyed part one of this chapter.**

 **Thank you all so much for all the support you give. It means so much to me.**


	7. The Gale

**Heres part two of the Blizzard. Thank you all so much for your support on the last chapter even if it was split in two.**

 **Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. In truth I liked writing this one much more than the last chapter. This one just flowed better.**

 **Once again, fuel my addiction to reviews by supplying me with your words.**

 **X.**

Crocea Mors rattled slightly as they continued down the long, paved runway. It still clung to Jaune's back while his Enforcer mace was attached to his right wrist. As of yet, they hadn't been able to use the blade, which had greatly annoyed the ever prideful Maiar blacksmith. Though at the current moment, using their reformed sword would be the furthest thing from their minds.

Jaune's eyes widened as he gazed upon the battleship, Blizzard. It was a menacing, castle-like ship with gigantic wings and engines to propel it through the sky. Massive guns laid across both its sides, mounted on swivels to give the ship's turrets full range of their enemy. Strewn over the rest of the ship were many point defense dust lasers, made to combat smaller avian Grimm or in the terrible case, enemy fighters.

 _'What a strange fortress you mortals have built for yourselves. What are those odd protrusions jutting out to the side? Where are the gates to allow armies to enter and garrison this structure?_ The rather grumpy Second Dark Lord critiqued the battleship, not truly understanding what was before the old God.

'Are you still upset at Roman for eating the last portion of breakfast?' Jaune inquired, as said man continued to lead them down the runway, disguised in his Atlas mercenary uniform. Roman has spent a ridiculous amount of time pressing and cleaning it, after it had been almost completely covered by soot and ash.

 _'That **man** stole the last eggs Benedict from us. The inn we stayed at would provide no more! I do not possess the knowledge on how one can 'Benedict' an egg, but I was more than willing to give it a try.' _His soul partner vehemently complained. _'Do you not feel irritated as well? I could feel your want for that particular morsel._

Jaune remained silent to Sauron's prodding, knowing he had too much pride to admit that he was upset that Roman did take the delectable eggs Benedict away. What both failed to admit and realized, was that they had effectively eaten three quarters of the Inn's complementary breakfast. Roman had to steal the last remaining egg in order to actually have a breakfast. Neo had just been satiated by sitting near Jaune's side and munch on a piece of toast.

'Either way, that isn't a castle in the same matter. It's a ship.'

 _'Why would you have a ship positioned here? It is several long miles until you reach the closet large source of water. Would it not be more efficient to make us meet them at a port?'_ The war mongering Dark Lord attempted to rationalize.

'Its not a sea-based ship. It's an airship.'

Sauron remained silent for several moments, all the while the massive form of their ship loomed above them. Their path had practically been engulfed by the mechanical behemoth's shadow. The ship had to be at least a kilometer long.

 _'To think that you mortals would have come this far.'_ The Maiar muttered. _'The idea of a flying ship is not unheard of. While I did not participate in this particular battle, I did hear rumors that an airship and several eagles were responsible for slaying Ancalagon.'_

'You had flying ships?'

 _'Only one to my knowledge, but its hull was swallowed by time and it disappeared from the world. But its legacy lay with the defeat of the greatest dragon to ever live.'_

'Acnologia?'

 _'Ancalagon you fool. But yes, so large and mighty was the Black Dread that mountains were his footstools. When he feel, he crushed an entire mountain range under his weight.'_

'Whoa.' Jaune thought in awe and once again Sauron went on a tangent about the old days. The young Arc didn't mind. The stories were entertaining and educational and it did help distract him from his own thoughts and sadness. The thought that he had not seen his family in a week haunted him and the ache of their missing presence still pained him. Roman and Neo had done well in making him do some tasks to keep his mind busy, and their talks did help fill the void.

Sauron had been stuck with Jaune for nearly two weeks, and even if the two wouldn't admit it, their company to each other wasn't a bad thing.

"Stand at the ready Jaune. Our employer approaches.", Roman spoke, and Jaune's eyes squinted to see the approaching figure. It was a tall, lean man in an immaculate blue suit that Roman would approve off. He was tailed by a large detachment of white armored, faceless soldiers. They were professional, with their large black rifles and they marched to the pace of their employer.

"Stay quiet. Let me do all the talking. The SDC is no joke with their security, especially when one of their officials is involved. I wouldn't be surprised if those guns on the battleship aren't primed on us right now.", he said warningly and an ominous feeling escaped over Jaune at the thought of him being helpless to the might of the war ship's guns.

It took several long moments, but eventually both parties met near the halfway mark of the large ship. Jaune filled as. He gazed at the long line of Atlas guards, heavily armored and armed. Even their leader, had two swords hoisted on his hip. The Atlas military and SDC did not mess around when dealing in military affairs.

"Mr. Lighter, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. If you are unaware of who I am, I am Jacques Schnee of the SDC. It was I who employed your services for this venture of ours. I'm assuming the negotiations that we agreed upon are still standing." The suited man asked, with a well practiced and used voice.

Initially, Roman seemed taken back that the very head of the SDC had come to greet them. However, the thief easily recovered and began to introduce himself and Neo to their employer. However, Jaune's attention was taken away when Sauron began to comment on the status of the Atlas guards in front of him.

 _'See? This is what a proper army looks like. Well equipped, armored, loyal, faceless, or a_ _t least they seem to be totally loyal. I'm quite sure their true colors will show when battle comes their way.'_

'You think there will be a fight soon?'

 _'What is the point of having an army, if you are not expecting combat for it? For as long as I've known your mortal kind, your race has always had an army. Enemies of the all ages have attempted to squash your kind, me included. Yet, you have resisted and defeated the enemies of time. Even now your kind resists against those Aberrations and the undead.'_

"And this is the third member of our party, Arc Angel.", Roman interrupted their thoughts, while the man showcased him to the head of the SDC. Panicking, all Jaune was capable of doing at the time was give him a small salute with his hand, which to his surprise the man acknowledged him with a small nod.

"It is a pleasure to meet all three of you. One of my lieutenants will show you to your quarters, where your mission directives will be sent to you. Now if you excuse me, I have other matters to attend to.", the authoritative man curtly said before he began to walk past them, flanked by a cohort of his gaurds. The other cohort remained where they were lead by a man with a slightly different armor configuration that must have been the formentioned lieutenant.

"If you three will follow me, I will lead you to your quarters.", the helmeted man said before he turned around, his men following his movements, and began to make his way to a large ramp that lead into the bowels of the ship.

'You think we could own one of these bad boys?' Jaune whistled mentally as he observed the grandeur of the massive Atlas battleship. Even if he was a mature fourteen year old, he could appreciate the absolute beauty of the massive weaponry and the sheer awesomeness that a warship could provide, especially as one as spectacular as the Blizzard.

 _'I would not object the chance to get a tour of this ship's capabilities. Perhaps one of these smithing monstrosities would be useful in our mission.'_ Sauron suggested, and Jaune had to intentionally force himself not to shiver at the memory that had been instilled by Lady of Lothlorien, Galadriel, when she had bound their souls together and given their directive of defeating the darkness that threatened the world of Remnant.

It had only been taken with weeks since that night, since Jaune's life was change. The shirt amount of time and such a drastic amount of difference, it was staggering to think how June's perspective of world or even his position in it had changed.

And both he and Sauron knew that their position in the chain of this world's power order would change. For better or for worse at the least.

 **X.**

Blake sighed in relief as once again she dodged another large patrol of Atlas troops went down opposite hallway. Instincts and natural acts of preservation died hard. Even when she had the full Atlas uniform on and a helmet fully covering her face and ears, she couldn't help but be extremely anxious and fearful. She had infiltrated the very heart of the SDC, disguised herself as a member of their security detail and had avoided blowing her cover so far. Everything was going good so far.

She had even managed to hide herself away from the prying eyes of the very head of the SDC, when she had accidentally happened upon him walking down one of the many hallways of the ship. It was due to her quick thinking and reactions that saved her from being discovered.

"Hey! You! Where's you're unit soldier!" A commanding voice called out from behind her. Blake was quite sure she felt **all** the hairs on her body stand straight up. Perhaps karma had finally caught up with her. Slowly, she turned around to find that an entire squadron was staring at her, officer included, with three rather bizarrely uniformed beings along with them.

Well, she had tried her hardest and hopefully the White Fang would remember her name has a martyr who had died valiantly for their cause.

"Ugh. Sorry I thought you were one of the normal infantry, Operative...Nightshade, whatever, come with me. From now on your working with the Mercs.", the commanding officer roughly said before brushing past her. She couldn't help but squish herself against the wall in order to not be crushed by the following passing of the soldiers. And of course he had to doublet take at her terrible secondary identity.

It took several long seconds but finally the line of men ended and she was free to move. She looked to her left and found that the three figures were staring at her intently. A bead of sweat traveled down her unseen face.

"What are you waiting for girl? Come along." The lead male said, tall and imposing, yet not as threatening since his somewhat dirtied uniform was covered in some rather flamboyant designs, and he had a large staff and cane attached to his back. But they did look rather nice. Even she had to admit that. The rest of the trio was made up of a short, feminine mercenary, with pink highlights plastered all over her armor. The paint did look like it had been scratched up lately, a recent sign of battle. At her side was a sabre and a thin blade, as well as a pistol.

The third member looked the most...interesting. The merc was obviously male, shorter than the first man, but taller than the girl. He too wore a helmet that covered his face, but for some reason, Blake found him to radiate an aura of youth. His armor also had decorations on it, to separate himself from actual Atlas personnel or SDC security. Gold and black trailed down his heavy armor, and there was an odd symbol on the side of his helmet. An eye with instead of irises, two golden arcs. A sword handle peaked out from behind his back, and a large baton like weapon was attached to his right arm.

She nodded silently and fell in line behind the shorter male and followed him as they trailed after the column of guards going down the hallway.

'Okay change of plans, but still doable. I just need to get myself to the Schnee's quarters or find myself in a major component of the ship. The only thing that will jeopardize my mission would be to be put on guard duty.' Blake reasoned with herself to keep calm and collected.

"I do not understand why my superiors saw it fit to hire some Academy dropouts, but their reasoning says that we need more officers to help command and properly organize guard and troop movements aboard the ship. We have seen it fit to split you three up among our different task squads. One of you shall be put on guard duty and the two others will be responsible for other battalions aboard.", the lieutenant spoke to the three mercenaries. For the illustrious and arrogant SDC to stoop to such low level as that they needed to hire mercenaries to fill their ranks. It brought a smile underneath Blake's helmet.

Blake would have to learn soon enough that her special awareness outside of combat needed to be on the same level in such tense situations, because soon she found herself side by side with the young merc. And he was speaking to her!

"This your first mission?" He asked quietly, his helmeted face turning to her slightly. Perhaps it had been her rather short experience with talking to humans, or to anyone for that matter, but she couldn't help but appreciate the sound of his voice. It was young and soft, but there was a firmness to it that told her he didn't mean to be a threat, but at the same time he wasn't a pushover. It was especially welcomed to her when her second pair of ears were being pressed against her head due to her helmet.

A far cry to the harsh yells and shouts that she had experienced during her many rallies against the SDC. Or the loud roars and grunts of White Fang officers during drills, who thundered instruction to all the recruits. Blake herself didn't like loud noises, perhaps due to her sensitive cat hearing, and much rather enjoyed the silent words of a good book.

"Well...no actually. I've been on a few smaller assignments. This is my first major one.", she lied and told the truth at the same time. Her infiltration instructors had taught her that good lies had a grain of truth to them and that the best lies weren't lies at all; just twisted truths. Plus, if she remained silent in this situation it might draw suspicion to her.

"Is that why you are lost?" He questioned again, and Blake felt some dread make her way into her heart. Survival instincts took control and she began to answer the rest of his questions with lies and half truths that would hopefully satisfy the very curious mercenary.

"I'm just a bit discombobulated. This is a large ship, and this isn't usually what my position is used for. I'm usually deployed for field work or other related operations.", Blake answered quickly, reciting from memory the details of her made up identity provided by the infiltration branch of the White Fang.

But, she was growing incredibly tired of lying and answering the curious man's questions. Now it was time for her to get a break and ask him a few questions.

"What are some mercenaries doing on a SDC battleship?" She asked him in return. Out of the corner of her peripheral vision that wasn't disrupted by her helmet's visor, she saw that the female mercenary had turned slightly to possibly hear Jaune's answer.

"The SDC needed us, so we heeded their call and came.", He answered. Blake nodded in approval of the answer, even if he sounded naive, his answer was acceptable. It gave her an actual response but it hid their true intentions. Smart.

"Sorry, uhhhh...Black Nightshade. I get a bit nervous from time to time, and I have to ask questions to shake it off." He apologized as his black visor turned towards her. Now that she could fully comprehend the symbol, she could appreciate just how unique it actually was. Such an odd design, it was a mystery from where he could draw such an inspiration for it. It didn't help her situation that he was a least a couple of inches taller than her so she had to peer up at him in order to see it.

Blake almost forgot that her disguise's name was such a terrible one, and thus took several seconds to realize that he was addressing her. Whoever wasn't in charge of espionage and sabotaging at the White Fang was going to have a very long and nice chat with Blake if she made it back

"Oh. I understand. In all honestly I prefer a good book to a party.", she once again couldn't help herself and tell the truth. Something about this boy made it so easy to talk around and to him.

They continued to speak back and forth until they reached a large ornate pair of doors, where the commanding officer awaited the lagging duo.

"Merc! You and Operative...Nightshade will be assigned to guard duty here. The person inside is of great importance and if I get wind of you slacking, your hides will be my rug for the next decade. Are we clear?" The man hissed like loose lightning. Blake caught how the young mercenary to her right straightened slightly, then slowly relax, as if he had misjudged the danger that the officer in front of them possessed.

She couldn't quite tell considering the fact that she was panicking on the inside since her plans were currently being by the current security forces employed by the SDC. Now she was stuck on guard duty with a mercenary. Excellent.

The mercenary she had talked to turned to his companions, and despite the helmet covering his face, Blake could see that the young man wished to stay with his companions.

"Don't worry Arc. We'll stay in touch.", the lead mercenary said, who was most likely the leader of the trio, holding up a scroll to indicate they would communicate over the piece of equipment. The shorter mercenary merely placed a small hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze before she went over to stand by the leader mercenary.

The younger sell sword nodded hesitantly, before he turned to her. Despite not knowing the young man for even an hour, she gave him a nod of assurance and encouragement. He hadn't annoyed her so far, so she would be a least civil with him.

"Get inside and get acquainted with your host and the person you will be protecting. A garrison will be sent down momentarily to aid you in your objective.", the officer said before he and his squad left the hallway, followed by the two other hired officers.

Blake entered the room first and found that it was quite nice. It was comfortably furnished and there was even a large table full of delicious looking food that got a slow grumble out of her stomach. Dry rations had taken a toll on her, and any chance she had to get real food into her stomach she would happily take it. The mercenary wasn't faring any better than her in hiding his hunger. He was eyeing the table with barely contained greed and Blake would bet that his mouth was watering judging by the way his body had slouched in response to the lunch spread on the table.

The twin doors closed behind them, leaving them in the empty room, the official or officer or person of major importance not yet seen or perhaps having stepped out of the room.

The room itself was nicely furnished, with oriental, soft rugs and carpeting draped over the floor. Couches and cushioned chairs were positioned throughout the large room. Doors arranged further down the lounge room obviously lead to other rooms, most likely of the same degree of comfort and cost.

Blake herself had never seen such an expensive room. There was even a large scroll screen that was taller than her. Whatever VIP was in here was obviously very important to either the Atlas military or the SDC, or perhaps even both. Who ever it was would be an excellent hostage and bargaining chip. The only thing stopping her right now would be the mercenary who was she was assigned to.

She turned to face him, only to find his hands on his helmet. There was was a hiss has the clasps the kept the helmet airtight during operations in hostile environments where the air was unhealthy for normal human beings, were released and the decorated, white helmet was lifted from his head.

Blonde hair, messy yet complimenting to him, and distractingly vibrant blue eyes met her. Blake actually had to blink underneath her visor to get a better look at his strikingly brilliant eyes. They were life fire, with how much life and color was held within the irises. There was something within those portals to the soul, something unseen and watching.

He was young, she expected for him to actually be around her age, and there was no long scars that marred his face like shad had previously expected. But there was a certain..aura that hung around him. He was young, but there was a reason he was currently a mercenary being hired by the SDC

She could respect that.

It came to her surprise however, that the mercenary was making his way to the lunch spread on the table and was actually about to take a generous helping for himself. Did this sellsword have no belief in the protocols and highly attuned standards that the SDC and Atlas military had for its soldiers and guards under their banner?

It came to a realization to her that she also was not part of the Atlas military and her stomach grumbled with hunger at the sight of her fellow guard spooning a helping of smoked fish onto a prime piece of rye toast. A smearing of cottage cheese was added on top, and to her great surprise, she found that a loud grumbling of a stomach reached both her ears, even the ones currently smooshed underneath her helmet. The mercenary was very hungry.

He looked ready to bite into the nicely made fish snack, when his sapphire eyes found her looking intently at the sandwich. He blinked and moved the open sandwich away from his mouth, while unconciously her eyes followed it. This routine continued on for several seconds, with the young employee of the SDC moving his plate of food in all directions, while Blake's feline eyes followed it. The rather abruptly he shoved it into her direction.

She looked up from the plate of delicious food into the eyes of the mercenary, and she couldn't stop herself but be charmed by the smile in his face.

"My names Jaune. You want some Ms. Nightshade?", he negotiated with her. His eyes boaring through her visor into her own amber ones. The tone of his voice was quite apparent that he knew that her name was not her true identity,

So, he had seen through her fake name. It was time for the her to fall back on the White Fang's contingency plan if her fake name was ever discovered.

"I can't tell you my actual name. I'm an operative. It's protocol." She reasoned with him. He seemed taken back and his face quickly morphed through many emotions, as if he was currently arguing with someone and losing. It took several second but finally the newly named Jaune relented.

"Well I guess that's all I can do.", Jaune said defeatedly before he surrendered the plate of fishy goodness to her. She greedily took the plate for herself, forgoing her helmet(while forgetting that she did not have her usual bow to cover her ears), and quickly devoured the delicious morsel. The soft, slightly sweet flesh of the salmon clashed beautifully with the savory, crunchy slid of bread, and the cottage cheese added a delicious element to it.

After a few moments of her greedy munching it suddenly dawned on her that she had just revealed her faunus heritage to an employee of the SDC. She slowly turned her attention back to Jaune and found that he was staring at her with wide eyes, the vibrant color of his irises fully showing themselves. What a sight it must have been, a scared White Fang agent with bread crumbs and small pieces of salmon on her face and her cat ears twitching nervously.

She couldn't imagine what was going inside his head.

 **X.**

 _'Why does she have an extra pair of ears?'_ Sauron asked in bewilderment at seeing such a bizzare set of foreign and unfamiliar features atop the mysterious girl's hair.

'She's a faunus!' Jaune mentally answered in awe at the rare sight. He had seen very little of the Faunus kind back in Canvas. Faunus in general were far more common on Atlas, Vacuo and their small island of Menagerie. They were even rarer in the countryside of Vale as most of them stayed in the relatively safer havens of the major cities.

 _'A faunus?'_

'Yeah. They're a subclass of humanity that has animal characteristics.' Jaune answered the Maiar.

 _'Have humans been procreating with animals for the centuries I have been absent from your history? I know that the old gods favored the elves and dwarves but for man to have devolved so far? That is quite disappointing.'_ Sauron commented, obviously disgusted by the extra pair of limbs that the cat girl was sprouting.

'No we didn't procreate with animals. They just sort of...appeared.' Jaune defended the cat girl from a foe she had no idea existed.

 _'Things do not just 'appear', there is a reason for them existing.'_

'Well we don't know how they came to be, so don't judge them on something you don't know.'

 _'I can judge whatever I please and I can especially belittle some creatures that have decided to destroy the image that Allfather Iluvatar gave to your kind. They are an abomination of your gift from your creator._

'Whatever, I'm not getting into a conversation about this with you of all people.

 _'You wish not to discuss this conversation because you know that you will lose it. No matter, hurry and converse with this abomination. I will entertain myself in other means.'_ Sauron angrily said. _'And do hasten your attempts at getting another morsel. We need more calories.'_

Jaune only internally sighed as he turned his attention back to Operative 'Nightshade'. Honestly either the Atlas military or SDC really needed to come up with better names for their agents and operatives. Black Nightshade was just bad.

Jaune had found something fishy about it, while Sauron had guessed that it was a fake name from the moment they heard it. But he wasn't going to pry into her real name when it was part of her status as an operative. Making himself an enemy of the SDC would not be good.

 _'Indeed. Making a massive military power when you are one entity is not conducive for survival. You must bide your time and gather forces. It will take time and resources.'_

'We only have me, you, some armor and a sword. How do I get an army with that.' Jaune asked bewildered. Just a week before they literally had nothing in their possession.

 _'You would be surprised what happens when you are thrown into a situation and forced to survive. When I was gathering the remnants of Morgoth's forces I was forced to survive in a hostile world without angering the Gods favored children and the Dwarves. I will tell you from experience that having organic minions at a volcanic fortress is not very productive. They burn too easily. It took hundreds of years and thousands of minions in order to divert lava flows and create a habitable area where I could grow a large enough force to conquer the known world._

'But even then, you lost.' Jaune pointed out.

 _'Indeed.'_ Sauron angrily muttered. _'Fate has been my enemy for a very long time.'_

Jaune hummed in agreement has he turned his attention back to the cat faunus, who was looking at him with a bewildered expression.

"You aren't disgusted by me?" She asked in trepidation and slight awe. Jaune only snorted.

"Well _I_ don't mind you at all." Sauron growled at Jaune to show what would happen if he continued down this path of speech." I think all faunus are pretty cool." He answered truthfully. In all honesty, when Jaune was younger he had always wanted a tail of sorts. Claws would work too. Back then Jaune was a very imaginative child.

"I see. You're not like most humans I know." The young faunus answered.

"Well that's disappointing. I don't know why people don't like you.", Jaune answered as he made himself a serving of a smoked salmon and bread. While it wasn't as good as Goldberry's, it did well enough to stave off his hunger.

"You'd be surprised." The operative said with a sad undertone that told him there was so much more to the subject than there seemed to be.

However, anymore of their conversation was interrupted by a shrill voice. Both the cat faunus operative and the young Arc were caught off guard as a short, white haired in an expensive looking dress entered from the other room.

"What is going on here!" She harped like a bird. Her face obviously showed a large amount of annoyance, but that was lost as soon as she laid eyes on Jaune and Nightshade. Instead, a vast amount of confusion had edged this way onto her face. Nightshade gave a quiet squeak before she threw on her helmet to cover her face.

 _'Perhaps she is disgusted with your inability to properly eat food. You still have a smudge of that smashed cheese on your face.'_ Sauron intoned as he had manifested himself to deal with the new development.

'Its called cottage cheese.' Jaune defended himself as he wiped said smudge from his face.

 _'That makes no sense whatsoever. The cheese does not resemble a small wooden house.'_

'The word cottage is a double entendre. It's not actually a wooden house. Besides we have a more pressing matters at hand.' Jaune referenced the still silent and bewildered girl that had happened upon them. Sauron turned his proverbial eyes onto the girl and regarded her silently.

 _'If she poses a threat we will kill her. Simple solution.'_ Sauron gave his reasoning to the quickly irritated Jaune.

'We've gone over this. You can't just kill people like that.' Jaune protested strongly to his Maiar companion. The ancient god-like be in merely snorted in discontempt before responding.

 _'She holds no value to you. You just met her. Why must you insist on saving those with little to no value to you?'_

Jaune only snorted. Sauron already knew his reasons.

' _Your morals again! I thought we discussed how much a liability that is to you. To us! It's is going to get you, and by extension me, killed!'_

'Whatever. I'm not talking about this now. What do I do?' Jaune snarked to his mental companion. Sauron growled at his _feä_ partner's naivety and belligerence, but complied to deal with the situation at hand.

 _'You_ _are her escort and guard. State your profession and your reason for being in your quarters.'_

"Uh hello! I'm your assigned mercenary guard, Jaune Arc." Jaune said with smile and ignoring how he sounded like a complete buffoon. Following his faunus companion's quick action, he too donned his helmet. It was probably a sign of respect in the Atlas military. The important official of the SDC or of Atlas just looked at him incredulously before turning towards Nightshade.

"Operative Nightshade why haven't you arrested this buffon yet?" The white haired girl asked accusingly. The operative was silent for a moment, her head turning towards Jaune and back to the girl.

"Uh I can't Miss Schnee. He is assigned to you as a body guard. The lieutenant said so.", Nightshade said from beneath her helmet. The girl gained a scandalized look before she returned her gaze back to Jaune. She looked him up and down, probably appraising him, and judging by how beat up and unclean his armor was, it most definitely left a bad impression.

 _'I told you to clean up the damage from that pyromancer. White metal is stained easily and must constantly be cleaned in order to look pristine. Now you look like a ignorant fool who doesn't know how to care for his own personal equipment.'_ Sauron commented with a happy tone, pleased to see that Jaune would suffer from not following the far superior being that was the Dark Lord.

Jaune groaned as he had basically squandered his first impression with a very cute girl. All because he had wanted to rest after their weary journey. But to be quite honest there was no way he had any chance with her.

 _'Ah! Truly the toiling and courting rituals of you mortals is quite an entertaining sight. Though I do believe the love between an elf princess and a great king of old was what helped defeat me.'_ Sauron recalled with a bitter undertone. _'But none the less it is quite entertaining to see how your mortals do to try and pass on your legacy._

'Just please be quiet.' Jaune asked in exasperation as he refocused on the girl, who had been conversing with the operative.

"You are undoubtedly sure that this man is not a vagabond, but in fact a mercenary hired by my father in order to acquisition some extra man-power?" The white haired Schnee asked his fellow guard. It was at this point that Jaune realized that he was in the presence of his employer's daughter. The very heiress or potential owner of the largest and most powerful dust company in the world.

 _'Ahhh how destiny works. If you do something stupid, she had the power to get you executed for inefficient work.'_

'They don't execute employees of companies.'

 _'You mortals have always been soft. When my orcs did not reach my standards, or perhaps failed an objective, I had no qualms of ending their miserable lives. Better for business as they say.'_

'Taking your quotes from movies we watch doesn't make you seem more with the times.' Jaune mumbled.

"Yes Miss Schne-" the operative responded before she was cut off.

"And enough of that Miss Schnee nonsense! I am nothing to this company yet, so you may call me Weiss.", the girl said curtly, cutting of the operative.

"Yes, Weiss. The lieutenant posted him as your guard and has taken the two other mercenaries to be put in charge of other parts of the Blizzard ma'am." Night shaded answered with practiced ease as she retold the event of their arrival on the massive battle ship.

The girl gave a noble snort before she refocused on Jaune, who had chosen to remain silent. Her eyes scrutinized every aspect of his appearance once again.

Several long moments passed in silence.

"He doesn't look like much. Doesn't even know how to properly clean his armor.", the heiress quipped with the silent operative, who in Sauron's loud mental opinion, didn't probably know how to respond to it.

"The decorations also need a lot of work."

Now Sauron's verbilzarion was much louder, so much so that Jaune feared that outside his head, they could hear the sound of Sauron's anger.

 _'This harlot dares mock the very symbol of the Dark Lord!'_ Sauron seethed. _'I already receive enough disrespect from my idiotic host and vessel. I shall not receive it from some mortal girl who shares the appearance of fallen snow!"_

In all honesty, Sauron's jab at the girl made no sense to him, but she did look like snow to him. A snow angel if he was being truthful. But, she had just insulted his family's insignia and he really did not feel like dealing with a migraine at the moment. The Dark Lord's anger could be devastating on the mind.

"Alright! Lay off. That symbol means a lot to me." Jaune a girl said, both to appease the headache that Sauron was creating in his head and to also defend his family's insignia.

Weiss, taken back from the sudden anger from her guard, backed off for a moment before she returned with a vengeance.

"And what is so special about this symbol. What worth is it to you?" His charge said with an icy glare directed at him. Perhaps her beauty had distracted him from how bratty the girl was being.

"Its my family's coat of arms.", he retorted back quickly. The Arcs may not have been as famous as the Schnees, but they still deserved respect for what they did and sacrificed.

"What would your family think seeing you know?" The girl's barb-like question may have had more affect if Jaune had a very bitter relationship with his family, but he loved them dearly. What made him choke up, however, was the sudden wave of longing and nostalgia. Worry and anxiety ate away at him as thoughts and fears of his family came to mind.

However, anger for the impudent girl's question overcame his sadness. How dare she bring up his family like that! She knew nothing and he had done nothing to draw this girl ire.

"I wouldn't know." Jaune angrily growled, before brushing past Weiss to stand by the door. His eyes didn't catch the flabbergasted and quickly paling face of the heiress, but Sauron's near surround consuming vision took great joy from her reaction.

He passed by Nightshade who's helmeted head followed his movement for a brief moment before snapping away.

 _'There's that backbone that I've been looking for. Perhaps it was buried under all your damned morals.'_ Sauron said in his head, unheeding and uncaring of Jaune's anger. He was enjoying this far too much.

"Wait!" The shrill voice of their charge called out from behind them. Jaune turned around, ready to be berated more by the insensitive brat. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of the white haired heiress bowing down to him, her form hiding her face.

"What?" He asked, far harsher then he intended for it to be. The girl stayed silent and still for a moment, before she stood straight up once again and looked him.

"I spoke out of turn there. I apologize for my previous comment. My behavior was unacceptable. Forgive me.", she said with a practiced tone. She said her line with such a monotone voice, that Jaune swore that she had been forced to practice that Smaug elite for many years.

He found that she was looking at him expectingly, waiting for his approval of her apology. Sauron, of course, wanted June to reject her apology. With some few harsh words.

Jaune, however, would always be weak to the charms of a pretty girl.

"It's fine. You didn't know.", he accepted her incredibly formal apology.

"Even so, my actions did not properly represent the SDC. For ruining the image of our company to you, I apologize profusely.", Weiss continued to push on. Jaune nodded slowly and the heiress finally relaxed in her apology.

"I didn't know that the symbol on your armor meant so much to you. If I did, I wouldn't have made that comment about your fam-" She was cut off by the loud hum of powerful dust engines coming to life. It cast a low rumble throughout the ship, and the dull drone of numerous auxiliary engines and thrusters coming to life permeated the air.

"Attention all passengers and personnel we are taking off now. Please refrain from any extreme movements as we take off. Shortly after take off, personnel will be assigned their missions. Captain Arcturus out." The ship continued a low rumble before with soft jolt, it levitated off the ground.

 _'Interesting. Quite a marvel indeed that you mortals have devised. Had this been the first time I've heard of a flying vessel, you would have earned a portion of respect from me.'_ Sauron idly commented, but his jab at humanity's inferiority was ignored as Jaune was concentrating on something far more important.

There was a pressure on his stomach, and Jaune had to brace himself against a wall as his vision began to sway as the ship moved. His plight, however, was not ignored by the two other occupants of the room. Sauron also didn't ignore how he too was feeling quite uncomfortable in Jaune's state.

"Mr. Arc are you well?"

 _'Indeed, what is this feeling? It is quite an unpleasant sensation.'_ Jaune, ignored both his charge's and Sauron's question as he performed acts fueled by pure instinct.

"Where's the restroom?" He asked quickly and with a manic tone to it. Taken back by his sudden change of demeanor, Weiss merely pointed to a side door on the right side of the luxurious common room.

Jaune felt himself stumble but he quickly ran to the door, pried it open. It revealed an insanely high tech and furnished restroom, but Jaime paid no heed to it as he rushed to the toilet and threw up his breakfast.

 _'Oh dear Allfather! What punishment is this!'_ Sauron roared in disgust, pain, and disbelief as he was subjected to the wrath of Jaune's motion sickness.

 **X.**

Weiss Schnee was a young woman with very high standards. As expected of someone of her family and her position in the company. She was expected to be the best and she wanted the best.

So she found it rather perplexing why her hired body guard was currently groaning in pain on her couch and why her other guard was gently rubbing his back in order to alleviate the pain.

Or why she was ordering some pills for motion sickness from the Blizzard's stockpile of medical supplies and medicines. Perhaps it was because she found a kindred soul in one who had also lost a family member like her.

No, she blamed it on how utterly miserable he looked. His expression was like of that he was being scolded immensely and he had failed to explain himself. She didn't know who had done the scolding; both she and her other guard had helped support him to the couch and had helped him remove his heavy armor and lay him on the couch.

"Some bodyguard you are.", Weiss joked to the young man on her couch. She had made sure to leave his weapons near him, which included his Atlas standard Enforcer mace and a heavy longsword that had taken both her and her other guard to lift and place it by the couch.

"I can't help it. Motion sickness is a real problem." Jaune weakly protested as he gave a weak groan as the Blizzard's powerful engines propelled them over the Valean sea. Weiss idly checked her scroll and saw that the entire escort fleet was surrounding the kilometer long battleship. Two heavy Castle-class crusiers, which were just a few dozen meters shorter than the Blizzard, and an assortment of frigates and corvettes. Not to mention that each ship within the flotilla carried at least four squadrons of Flurry-class fighters.

Such was the military prowess of the Atlas military, and by extension, the power of the SDC. Now, of only they could hire more professional and non motion sick mercenaries.

"How long am I supposed to do this?" Operative Nightshade asked as she continued to run Jaune's back. As expected of an Atlas and SDC operative, she had obeyed the orders of a superior, and she did have the gumption to question why she was currently rubbing her fellow guard's back.

"The voyage to the city fo Citadel will take at least a day. Hopefully room service gets here in time with this dolts medicine.", Weiss informed her guard as well as berate her troublesome one. Her induction of knowledge was met with groans from both her guards. Such a professional and respectable bunch.

"What does one do to entertain themselves for such a long period of time?" Nightshade asked as she finally got up from giving Jaune a back rub. Weiss raised an elegant eyebrow at the notion.

"What do you think? We have the scroll screen for a reason." The heiress said, observing how the operative seemed taken back.

"You don't train or do business with the SDC?" Weiss looked at her incredously and as if she had grown a second head. Was that what the personnel think the Schnees always did? Granted they were a very busy and active family, but they did enjoy breaks and vacations as much as the next person.

"There's no training room on the Blizzard and we have an army of lawyers, advisors, and financial advisors to deal with the mundane purposes of the SDC.", she informed the ignorant employee. She would have to notify the rest of the personnel of the way that Schnees enjoyed themselves.

"Here. Let's see what we can watch." Weiss said as she picked up the Scroll's control and began flipping tlhrough several channels and the various movies that the Scroll boasted. It even came with a few expensive and new scroll games, most likely intended for Whitley.

"Ohh that's neat looking." Jaune voiced out from his laying form on the couch. The heiress stopped her selection browsing and found that the choice of media that they had stopped on was a four hour long documentary covering the Atlas military and how t came to power.

"I agree. That would be a wonderful choice." Nightshade eagerly said, raptly paying attention to the screen as she had made herself comfortable on floor while leaning against the couch that Jaune lay defeated on.

"Uh! You want to watch a four hour long documentary about the Atlas military!" Weiss asked on disbelief. Didn't they want to watch something a bit more...entertaining? No one else her age had wanted to do something so menial and mundane but here were two young guards eagerly awaiting her to play the documentary.

It was almost as bad as movie night with Winter!

.

.

'Alright it wasn't as bad as that.' Weiss thought and conceded as she sat herself elegantly down on a free couch.

 **X.**

 _'So these Atlaseans have become one of the strongest military powers of their time and they squander it in their winter island? Disgusting.'_ Sauron voiced as they continued to watch the Atlas documentary of their military. When their charge had given them the option of choosing. _'They should launch their full might against their neighbors and conquer their land and with the full might of your mortal nations, launch an attack against this 'Grimm' that your kind fears._

'They tried that before. It didn't work. The leaders bickered and after only a few days the Alliance of Remnant fell apart. That was hundreds of years ago though.', Jaune informed the ancient Maiar. The Dark Lord only laughed with mirth.

 _'Of course you fools would foil your greatest chance of victory! How you mortals have lasted this long is beyond my comprehension.'_

'It was just the wrong time and with the wrong people. All they wanted was power.

 _'And you don't think that mortals don't want power now? All mortals desire power. Wether it's for greed, vengeance, or for your 'morals.' Everyone wants power.'_

Jaune remained silent as Sauron once again claimed another verbal victory over him. Instead, he pointed his attention back to the scroll screen while ignoring as a slight rattle moved through the ship, making his stomach rumble with protest. It was disturbing enough to the both of them, for Sauron to start complaining once again.

 _'What is the exact ailment that curses our stomach? It caused us to lose valuable food and nutrients, and has forced us to lie down on this couch. Utterly defenseless I may add.'_

'I told you before that I have motion sickness!'

 _'And I vividly remember telling you that getting a disease from simply moving is not an actual ailment and I demand for you to tell me the truth on this matter.'_

'Its the truth! I'm not good on moving animals or vehicles!'

 _'Then you are stating that for the rest of the duration of this journey on this flying ship, we will have to endure this volatile sickness of yours?'_

'Weiss said that she would call up one of her maids and bring us some medicine. She said that they have all sorts of medications and remedies stocked up in the Blizzard's med bay.'

 _'Oh and you're telling me that your willing to ingest foreign and strange materials and herbs? That's fool hardy and not conducive for out survival what so ever.'_

'Its modern medicine! We aren't primal beings who live in trees! It saves life!'

 _'That's what they said when they had eleven magic and herbs. I would rather trust the favored children of the gods rather then some unknown concoction devised by you mortals who find it desirable to fornicate with animals!'_

'That argument has nothing to do with the current situation!'

However, their mental tirade was cut short as a well dressed man entered the room. He had a professional, white suit on and was accented by black pants, and a large silver tray that he balanced perfectly on one hand.

"Madame". He replied with a monotone voice before he placed the tray on a table before departing the room fluently. On the tray was a singular pill on a fancy plate that was far too much for such a mundane role.

Weiss picked it up and merely presented it to him, as if it hadn't been brought in on a incredibly expensive platter. She held it out expectingly as Jaune merely returned the look.

"Well?" The heiress asked with an expectant look, which translated that she expected for him to take it from her. Respectfully of course.

Carefully he picked up the pill in his gauntlet, making sure to brutishly grab it from her hand. Jaune peered at with interest. It was an average sized pill, colored white with a pink stripe circling width wise.

 _'See? No indications of poison. No indication of danger. Which makes it the most dangerous of all. You have no idea what that small pellet of chemicals and ingredients holds. It could kill us swiftly.'_ Sauron's warned, desperately attempting to advise his vessel to adhere to his warnings.

'It's modern medicine. It's supposed to help us.' Jaune confidently replied as he swallowed the pill in one gulp, ignoring the sharp gasp of disbelief and fear that the paranoid Darklord let out. He followed the heiress back to the couch, a victim to the another storm of anger that Sauron unleashed onto him.

'No poison see? Completely safe and sound.' Jaune reassured him.

 _'Oh really?'_ His mental companion drawled. _'Then why are you stumbling?'_

'Paardon?' The now unbalanced Arc, mentally slurred.

 _'Even your mental thoughts are slowing down. What a strong unknown drug that you've ingested for us. So strong that you've failed to notice that you're falling forwards.'_ Sauron said with his mental voice dripping with powerful sarcasm as they fell forwards unto the unsuspecting heiress, and their voices were silently shut down by the medicine.

Weiss would not admit that she let out a very unlady-like screech as she felt the heavy weight of her own body guard falling against her back. She was the heiress of the SDC, she had a reputation to uphold.

Blake would not admit that she let out a hiss of fear as both a _**Schnee** _heiress and her fellow 'body guard' fell on top of her as she lay on the luxurious couch.

Now both were laid out on the couch, underneath the heavier form of the unconscious Jaune, who had the gall of snoring lightly. An awkward silence passed over them as they laid there, squished under him. He was much heavier then he looked, with his male physique, armor, and weaponry. With a mighty heave, both of the girls pushed off the sleeping body guard and winced as his body unceremoniously crashed into the ground.

The duo looked at each other and silently agreed that the young man was incredibly and utterly a dolt. Through and through. In silent agreement, Weiss heaved him up with his arms while Blake moved to his legs and they both once again, unceremoniously threw his body onto the couch where he once again would lay. They also ignored the crash as Jaune probably fell upon his weapons in a heap.

 **X.**

"Current diagnostics on all systems and decks have reported they are green and running at peak efficiency. All ships are in spearhead formation. Everything is peaceful and there are no signs of aquatic or aerial Grimm." Jacques' first officer reported as the head of the SDC acquired of the status of the Blizzard and its escort fleet. His time as a general in the Atlas military had rubbed off into his conduct as a business owner.

"Have we recieved any return messages from air bases in Atlas?" He asked his communications officer, who sat at an adjacent chair and desk. The young ifficer turned to him and shook his head as an answer.

"No sir. And by the looks of it, they aren't recieving ours." Jacques turned his head in thought as the news did not bode well with him. Even if one airbase did not get their message, and they didn't get a message from one, that didn't mean all of them would ignore their presence or calls. Something was wrong.

"Is it a connection error?" He asked. It would put all his worries to rest if it was just because of the heavy clouds and the weather that was famous on the eastern side of the world.

"No sir. Its almost like they are getting our calls, but refusing them. Were not being blocked by them either. They just won't respond." Fear dawned inside of Jacques' heart and realization and paranoia intertwined together.

"Bring up all comms with the rest of the fleet! I want a situation report from each of them!" The head Schnee commanded as experience and instincts were driven to overdrive. The entire bridge crew had to cover the left side of their face as a orange glow was born out of the shattering remains of an Atlesian frigate. It had been absolutely torn apart by a volley of cannon fire.

Hulking shapes emerged from the clouds, decrepit ships from Vale's past military fleet emerged, however these ships bore the symbol and coloring of his family's nemesis. The White Fang.

The main guns of the opposing fleet fired upon his security ships with malice and anger. Jacques had to brace himself as the Blizzard rattled with the force of a dozens of explosions tore against its advanced shielding.

"Return fire! All port side weapons open fire! Bring the rest of the fleet to engage them! I want all personnel prepared to evacuate or to repel boarders!" The Schnee barked out orders, his past days as a Hunter and military officer coming back to the forefront. His crew hurried around, desperate to follow his orders to the best of their abilities. Already blue bolts of Atlas cannon fire soared from his ship and the rest of the fleet, clashing with the orange blasts of the White Fang. Unfortunately, even through the haze of explosions and of capital ships flying past, he could see dozens of dropships soar in the Blizzard's direction.

And just when we he thought this would be relaxing.

 **X.**

Sauron snarled in frustration as he felt horrendous explosions rack Jaune's body. With what little control he had over the boy's body, only being able to open his eyes for a few scant seconds before he lost concentration. From what he could see, the two harlots had already been ushered out by scared guards, while they had locked and secured Jaune's uncocnious form in Weiss's chambers.

 _'This is a new type of hell! I refuse for this to be the end of us! You hear me you mockery of Valar! Whatever curse you have sent to befall me is weak! You are nothing comapred to me you mistakes! I am Sauron and you will know why **I** am the **Dark Lord!** '_

The ancient Maiar's anger cackled with physical energy and with hopeful surprise he found that his own fea was taking over Jaune's unresposive one. The familiar, but forgetten darkness brough a malicious, imaginary grin to his face.

 _'Oh. This will do nicely.'_ He practically purred.

 **X.**

Private Alex felt his breath hitch, and his wolf ears twitch as he and the rest of his strike team walked down the dark corridor. The only light that they were provided were the flashlights that were attached to their weapons and their own faunus vision. The Schnee's bastard ship shook under the fire of their attack fleet, and they had been able to destroy a portion of the giant ship's power, casting certain portions into darkness.

Their team's objective had been to regroup with Operative Blake and secure the Schnee spawn. However, they hadn't been able to contact her or meet up with her. She had probably been dragged away, along with the rest of the Schnee's security team. Even better.

It just meant more SDC personel to kill.

Their captain suddenly stopped, the lion faunus' bulky figure blocking up half of the hall way. He raised his left hand up, with his fist closed, a sign for the rest of the ten man squad to stop.

"Quiet. Do you hear that?" He asked with trepidation. The rest of the team stilled and quieted, but there weapons still remained raised, fanning all over place to keep them secure.

His ears picked it up though. It was a shrill noice, as if metal was being bent or grinded against another metallic object. Worse of all, it was getting louder.

Flashlights and night vision began to dim, as the ruckus grew louder and louder. It was if it was trying to break through the walls, and it was effective at spuring the rest of the them into defensive positions.

He could feel it physically grow colder and the shredding and destruction of whatever grew deafening. His hairs were literally standing up, and his wolf instincts were howling at him to leave. The rest of the strike team were fidgety, even their experienced captain, who's tail swished frantically as he trained his rifle to the end of the hallway.

And that noise! That horrid noice!

It was getting louder.

Closer.

It was upon them.

A door was thrown against the far end of the hall way and all hell broke loose.

Bullets soared through the air, and the sounds of guns firing deafened all as they emptied entire magazines into whatever was at the end of the hallway. The screams, roars, and shouts of fear and anger joined the cacophony, and for a couple of seconds it was just pure bliss to unleash all their tension.

However, pure bliss can only be followed by a sinking feeling.

When they had all had empited their magazines, it revealed that the walls were covered in bullet holes but no body was revealed or anything suggesting that there had been anything there.

Just darkness and a broken door. Only, it seemed to to get darker.

"What the fuck?" Their captain elouquently put it. Flashlight beams hit something and did not pass through, and their eyesight could not see through the dark. Something was there though. Black and getting closer.

Two firey eyes snapped open, and the shadows around them **wreathed**.

Their huge captain, a stalwart believer to the cause and a veteran, screamed in terror as he was lifted off from the ground by a dark claw and was subsquently crushed by the dark. His blood covered every where. It outlined the moving shadows on the wall, and the human like hand that had just left him a bloody pulp.

All the while, all they could do was stare back at the firey eyes. Trapped by its gaze.

Someone crashed against the wall, the sounds of their bones breaking eclipsing that of the wall denting. Another person's head was cleanly taken off by a huge mace. Quick and terryfing.

His fellow privates were crushed under the weight of the shadow, not even screaming. There was a sudden gaping hole in someone's chest as they slumped against moving shadows.

It continued on. Silent, quick, and brutal. No one moved unless the shadow moved them and they would no longer move again. It went on until for sure, Alex knew he was the last one left. Forever lost in those firey irises.

As he blinked, they appeared right before him. Brighter and far more like fire. The broken stars morphed and within those baking flames, as blindness began to take over the edges of his eyes, a figures shrouded in fire and shadow spoke to him.

It was a whisper that was as loud a silence, and with a voice that spoke with the groan of age old darkness.

 **'Old gods dream no more.** '

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 **X...**

 **Its been a while. Sorry about that. Its been a trip. Ive been exploring new ideas and reformulating my plot to fit with the canon of the series. It what I owe this to any way.**

 **But I think you guys desrve a better reasons then that.**

 **Life. Simple enough. All I have to say for that.**

 **Writing and plotting techniques needed to be revised. I cant churn out monstrous chapters and then go back and rewrite signifcant plot points. So I've settled for smaller chapters here.**

 **New ideas.**

 **The bane of my existence. I always want to improve my stories with new thiughts and beliefs. New powers and wants. It can derail entire canons with what you do with them.**

 **In fact as I wrote this, I've been writing two other dabbles.**

 **Jaune as an ancient weapon designed to kill gods.**

 **Jaune combating otherwordly beings.**

 **Hopefully those two come out soon and wont be tanked by my unproductive self.**

 **I wish you the best of 2019 and I hope to see more of you.**

 **p.s. Please review. ;-)**


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